Rebuilt (Gency - Overwatch)
by MegabyteB
Summary: Angela Ziegler's life was simple insanity; she had hundreds of people who counted on her that she took care of day in and day out. Most of them passed by in a blur of information and names, never to be heard from again. But for some reason, one particular patient kept appearing again and again. MercyxGenji aka Gency story, doesn't perfectly follow canon.
1. Chapter 1

**First things first: if you are my fellow Gency trash irl sister (you know who you are) and you somehow stumbled upon this, just know that this is just your sister being a random mess full of pent up ship with a writing style that is probably way too heavy on the dialogue and describing character's actions instead of scenery. Don't judge me D;**

 **Anyways, hope you enjoy. I love Overwatch; I'm a Mercy main and I love watching people play Genji. I think the two of them are just too cute together to not ship it.**

 **Oh, and if you have anything to say, let me know! I love feedback, good and bad, but it would be nice if the bad feedback is specific. I can't do much off of "I hate your story it's crap." but if you give me something better to work with I might actually change something, who knows?**

* * *

Doctor Angela Zeigler was a lot of things. She was studious, thoughtful, kind, and patient; but there was one thing that she certainly was not, and that was tardy, especially considering the circumstances in which she and her fellow Overwatch members were almost always finding themselves in.

So when she was running late from the short grocery trip she had insisted on taking to add some normalcy back into her ridiculous life, it was easy to assume that she was flustered and stressed beyond belief.

"I can't believe this," she muttered under her breath in German, quietly cursing herself all the while staring at the ground and the bags of groceries in her hands, "They'll never let me do anything again if I keep like this. I just wanted one day to pretend like I'm a normal human being, not Mercy. I don't think they get how hard it is for me! They ship me off to Japan with Winston to take care of some important business without even thinking for my own sanity, and while I appreciate that they consider me to be so important, it's so inconsiderate! I don't care if I'm being selfish or ridiculous; I reserve the right to be ridiculous every once…"

The quiet muttering petered off as realization dawned in her eyes. She glanced back along the path she had just been walking, seeing the unmistakable sight of liquid blood dripping down the slanted sidewalk. A glance down at her own shoes showed droplets of the stuff staining the bright white cloth. Her eyes widened, and her pulse pounded in her ears, sounding like an ominous drumbeat.

She briefly considered just continuing on her way. After all, she had only just admitted that today was a break day and that she had every right to be selfish once in a while. Not only that, but she knew that this area of town was notorious for gang activity, hence why she was practically the only one on the street as of right now. If this person was a victim of some gang, she'd be putting herself in immense danger by helping them. What if they were assaulted and their attacker was still around? But that train of thought broke quickly, and she slapped herself for even considering it. How could she take up the nickname of Mercy if she wouldn't give that very thing to someone who so clearly needed it right now?

That had her running towards the blood, following the trail to what was its source. It seemed to be coming from the alleyway that ran next to a large, gated house that resembled a castle. Surely whoever this was had to be a victim of some sort of gang activity. She sprinted down the alleyway, desperately hoping that it wasn't just a dead body she found there.

When she reached the site of the victim, she didn't find a dead body, but that guess wasn't far off. What she found was a young man so sliced up that she was honestly surprised he wasn't bleeding more, though that might have something to do with the fact that he was also burned beyond belief, which might have cauterized some of the wounds.

She dropped her bags, the contents completely forgotten and lazily rolling away from her as she knelt down to examine the man. Despite everything that was wrong with his condition, he was miraculously still conscious, his eyes focusing on her face hazily. Though that might have been a curse instead of a blessing, depending on how she looked at it.

"It's okay, I'm here, it's going to be alright." She stuttered in poor Japanese, grabbing his hand with one of hers while fumbling for her phone with her other hand. She eventually found it, dialing Winston as quickly as her shaky hands would allow. "Winston, I need backup immediately. No I'm not in danger but I found someone who is… No I don't know what happened! But he's about to die and I need you to get to my location immediately and bring my staff along with any other equipment you can manage. Don't even try to pretend you don't know where I am, I know you put trackers on us whenever we take trips, so hurry it up!" The phone was hung up before Winston could even reply and quickly forgotten as she turned back to the man in front of her, who had been staring at her since she had arrived.

Mercy was having a hard time keeping her voice steady and free of panic, but she didn't want to scare her newfound patient, so she was doing her best. She had never seen anyone still alive in a state like this before, and frankly, it terrified her. She was by no means an old, experienced doctor, especially considering she was in her younger twenties, so this extreme case was an unpleasant shock. "You're going to be fine," she began once more in Japanese, trying her best to sound soothing while simultaneously mispronouncing every other word. "My name is Angela, but you can call me Mercy, whichever one is easier to say at the moment. I'm the head doctor, surgeon, and medical researcher for the organization of Overwatch. I will do everything in my power to keep you here with us. Just focus on my voice and my face, and do your best to stay with me, okay?"

"Okay," the man replied hoarsely, the word seeming to be struggle. Angela almost laughed from relief at the fact he could still speak. She had been anticipating much worse. Considering how laughing would probably be highly inappropriate in their current situation, she just smiled and fumbled around in her pockets again, wondering if she had brought something that might be of some help in this situation.

' _Please tell me I brought it… aha!'_ Out of her jacket pocket she triumphantly pulled out the device Jack begrudgingly agreed to let her work on. It was her handiwork in the first place, so he really had no right to complain anyways, and one of her first accomplishments in nanobiology (a simple thing, really, just a field of healing compounds), but it would hopefully be enough to quell some of the pain, though not much of the bleeding. Working quickly, she activated the device and set it next to the man, whose face had been contorted in pain since she arrived. The relief that swept over him was almost instant, almost causing her to cry tears of joy, especially since his breathing seemed significantly less heavy and painful.

Next she let go of his hand and removed her jacket, pulling out her pocket knife and cutting the plain white hoodie into strips. It was a disgustingly primitive way of wrapping wounds, but it was all she had to work with. As she worked, she began speaking again, trying her best to give him something to focus on beside the pain. One of the best ways to help someone ignore pain was to let them focus on other memories or thoughts instead. "As I said, my name is Angela. Angela Ziegler. I'm from Switzerland, hence the accent, and I'm just here to take care of some patients from the war with the omnics, along with some grossly political issues I would rather not get into right now. Well, not ever, but especially right now. Could you tell me your name, dear?"

He looked at her for a moment, warm amber eyes seeming conflicted before he finally spoke. "I'm Genji Shimada."

She paused for a second, blue eyes thoughtful, though not condemning, which was what Genji had expected. She smiled at him before continuing working, seemingly unfazed. "It's nice to meet you Genji, as unfortunate as the circumstances may be."

"Don't you… don't you know who I am?" He asked, clearly taken aback by her reaction. He hadn't been expecting a kind smile after he revealed his family name. If anything, he thought that she would turn back towards the street, screaming as she ran away. The Shimada clan was infamous for a reason, a very good reason at that. Most of the gang activity in the area was their fault, and the clan was proud of the terror they instilled into others.

She ignored his question at first, finishing wrapping his wounds in silence before finally stopping her work. "That's all I can do for right now," she said with a guilty smile, moving from her position to lean up against the wall next to him, gently taking one of his hands into her own. "And of course I know who your family is, largely because that has to do with those disgustingly political issues that brought me here. But I have also guessed that right now we seem to be sitting outside of the headquarters of the Shimada household. If you were in good graces with your family, I wouldn't be speaking with you, would I?"

He sighed. She was right. He thought back to what had happened only a few hours ago. He had fought so valiantly to try to survive, yelled at the top of his lungs that his brother was insane, and begged him to stop, even. But it had all been in vain, and he had been nearly murdered and abandoned by his own flesh and blood to die in the street. Rage bubbled up from within him and burned him to the very core. How dare Hanzo do this to him! He had nothing left anymore because of this. He had no more reason to live, no reason to…

"Genji," the quiet voice pierced through his anger, and he looked back up at the girl next to him, startled. Tired blue eyes met his, framed by hair so blonde it was almost white, which had fallen out of the loose ponytail she kept it in. _'Her name suits her,'_ he thought to himself, considering how angelic this Angela was. "Try not to think about what happened. I know that might be hard, but you need to focus on what will happen from now on. I'll save you, I promise."

Genji scoffed. "Maybe I don't want to be saved." The words tasted bitter and uncalled for, especially directed at the person who had just exerted so much effort to help him, but he felt that they might be true. What more was left in this life for him? "I've lost everything, so what's the point?" he challenged, staring back into those bright blue eyes with as much cocky confidence as he could muster.

Mercy seemed at a loss for a moment. He could see poorly masked turmoil raging inside of her, and he wondered what he had said to make her feel that way. It wasn't long before he found out. "I've heard someone say that before, you know," she replied with a sad chuckle, "that they didn't want to be saved. I wasn't meant to hear it; I was only a child back then, not even old enough to understand what my mom meant by it. The two of them, my parents, were so tired of the fighting and so hopeless for change that they thought it would be better off to die by the omnics then eventually become their slaves. So that's what they did, and they left me alone. The rebellion in our country was stopped the next year. Switzerland was even one of the first to reach a peaceful compromise." She shook her head lightly and let out a small, disappointed sigh. "I can't promise you that everything will work out, but they died believing there was no hope for them. Sometimes love and hope take longer to get here than we want, but I believe that they're always just around the corner, if we're willing to be patient."

Genji was at a loss for what to say. Here was someone who had lost everything important to her once, like what had just happened to him. Not only that, but if what she had said about being head doctor for Overwatch was true, she had turned that pain into something worthwhile. If she thought life was worth living, then who was he to say otherwise?

The two were snapped from the moment by the sound of a helicopter arriving. Angela sighed with relief at the Overwatch logo on it; help had finally arrived. She stood up from where she was as a ladder unfurled from the helicopter and a few soldiers climbed down it, undoubtedly tasked to pick Genji up. One of them offered to help her as well, but she simply rolled her eyes, scaling the rope herself. Her appearance was one of frailty, yes, but she hadn't spent time as a field healer for nothing. She was more than strong enough to take care of herself.

She was inside of the helicopter before the rest of them were halfway, which gave her time to examine what equipment they had brought. Her Valkyrie suit which she normally wore into battle was there, which seemed ridiculously useless in the current situation. Luckily Winston had listened to her orders and sent her staff along, which was her greatest medical achievement. It sent out a stream of concentrated healing due to the nanobiology it contained. This would do to stabilize Genji until she could operate on him properly, as well as potentially containing the losses to his nerves and limbs that he might sustain.

THAT was still an issue she had yet to confront; what all would she not be able to repair, and how could she make up for those losses? She certainly wasn't prepared to leave him as a torso due to amputations, but it honestly looked like that might be an option she had to consider. What if that was truly the best that could be done for Genji? It made her insides turn; that wasn't how she wanted to leave a patient, ever, if it could be helped.

Mercy was drawn from her thoughts by the arrival of the soldiers and her new patients. She nodded a thanks to them as they lay Genji down on the small bed in the back of the helicopter and began her work, applying every ounce of her medical knowledge to the situation at hand.


	2. Chapter 2

The day after Genji and Mercy had arrived back at the Overwatch headquarters in Japan had felt like a year, at least to Angela (Genji had been asleep for essentially the entire time). She hadn't once had a second to breathe, let alone do something as trivial as sleep. Genji had been put under anesthesia as soon as they had gotten back, and his surgery had begun almost instantly. Even with all of the effort she had gone through, he was still only barely clinging onto life. As of right now, Angela had managed to salvage his limbs, though they would never quite be the same if he survived. Both his arms and his legs would have minimal feeling and terrible scarring, and they would only be able to be used for the most menial tasks, if at all. She wasn't sure if he would be able to get around without a wheelchair. Probably not.

While it was relieving that they wouldn't have to resort to amputation, what wasn't great was the fact that it might not matter at all if she didn't come up with a life support system for him. His wounds were stubbornly refusing to heal, no matter how much of her medical knowledge she applied to the situation at hand. It was almost beyond her, and nothing was beyond the capabilities of Angela Ziegler. She refused to believe it so.

But as it was, Genji was strapped up to every machine that could fit around his bed in an effort to keep him alive. A room similar to this was where every extremely critical patient that Overwatch found came in, and Angela was always the one to work on them (assuming she was in the correct country at the time). She had demanded a large space to work wherever she went due to the time she tended to spend with her patients, and Overwatch had more than willingly complied. Back when she first joined the organization they had done anything they could to ensure that she would stay around. Her pacifistic nature worried them in regards to her loyalty, and with good reason. Angela could recall dozens of times off the top of her head that she had almost quit when the only reason she stayed was how willing the organization was to accommodate her.

She had fitted the larger than normal hospital room with a desk and a small sofa so that she could work without losing site of her patient; she never liked to leave a patient in a dire situation alone, even if it put a great strain on her mental well being to stay cooped up in the same room for what could often turn into days. That was why she had been able to be in the room with Genji since he had arrived, studying pages of notes while waiting for the anesthetic to wear off so that she could discuss his situation with him. She felt an obligation to speak to him about his condition in person and to not just have an assistant do it. After all, she was the one who found him and who worked on saving him; it was best if she talked to him as well. Not only that, but she was the only familiar face that he had at the moment. There was always some comfort in familiarity, no matter how small that comfort might be.

Her state of pouring over her notes was interrupted by a low groan from the middle of the room. Angela's head snapped up, eyes quickly focusing on the bed behind her. The pages on the desk were quickly forgotten as she stood up and walked towards Genji's bed, peering at the patient. His amber eyes were hazy and had yet to focus, but they were definitely awake. Angela sat next to his bed and waited for him to notice her before she began speaking. She needed his full attention for what she wanted to say.

Eventually, Genji fully woke up. His first conscious thought was of how much pain he was in. Every inch of his body felt sore, even though it wasn't as bad as he had expected it to be. He then tried to stretch his fingers and toes. Nothing. No matter how hard he tried, nothing seemed to be moving. Okay, so that wasn't very good, but things could still be worse. It was after that he noticed the presence at his side. Looking over, he spotted Angela's quiet figure. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, clearly the same one that it had been in when she found him, considering over half of it had fallen and was now framing her face. Her eyes were tired and restless, dark circles clearly showing below them, a sign of the entire day she spent without sleeping. But even though it was clear that she had experienced no rest in a while and that she was troubled, the dutiful smile on her face still comforted Genji, perhaps more than it should have.

"Welcome back, Genji," she said sweetly, still being careful to talk in Japanese. He appreciated the effort; he could understand English, which he knew she was aware of, but it wasn't his strong suit. This was much easier for him, even if she pronounced almost every word incorrectly. "I'm sure you've probably noticed the, ah, lack of feeling in your limbs," she added quietly, a resigned sigh escaping from her lips. "I suppose there is no point in avoiding the subject. I've saved all that I think I can, and even with that you're still in an extremely unstable condition. I'm sure you won't want to live in a wheelchair your entire life, and that's certainly not what I want for you either, Mr. Shimada. But it would take extremely drastic action to get you moving again, and I'm not sure that you'd want to go through with that option, even if I was fully confident in my abilities to perform it."

He thought for a moment on this. A wheelchair for the rest of his life? She was right, it certainly wasn't what he wanted. He couldn't imagine never being able to stand up again. And she hadn't even mentioned his arms, so what about those? They seemed just as immobile as his legs. "What's the other solution?" He finally asked. Even if she wasn't confident in it, was it not his right to know what his options were?

"Ah, yes. That," Angela glanced back at the desk she had so recently been pouring herself over, notes and diagrams a blur of white and black at this distance. Or perhaps that blur was just her eyes begging her to get some rest. Probably best not to think about that. She began pacing up and down beside Genji's bed, talking animatedly with her hands when they weren't running through her hair, creating more of a mess of it than it already was. It became immediately clear to Genji that she was less talking with him than talking at him. _'As long as it relieves her from a little bit of stress and helps her think,'_ he thought quietly, noticing the anxiety seemingly pouring out of the doctor.

"I believe I might have told you this, though I wouldn't blame you if you've forgotten, especially considering the trauma you were going through at the time, but I'm the head of the medical department here at Overwatch. I made a massive breakthrough in the study of nanobiology and cell repair that gained me notoriety a few years ago, which is the technology that I used to save you. Unfortunately, the type of medicine that I've been working with is extremely complex and intricate, and machinery is so integral to the entire process that most doctors have no idea where to even begin when trying to learn it or use it, and it is even more difficult to get research done when you consider how new the entire field is. So not a lot of progress is made aside from my own personal work. The good news is, I've been working on projects in my free time here that consolidate biological medicine to technology, with the end goal of repairing augmented humans more easily by being able to meld their mechanical body parts with their human ones. This has had a recent breakthrough, and I've made significant process on consolidating those two very things, humanity and machine. I think, with just a little bit more time and some better plans, some help from Winston and a potential miracle, I could create a way to sustain human life solely through a mechanical body." She paused, tapping her finger with her lip as she stared thoughtfully at Genji. "It may not be ideal, but I could use mechanical augments to support you. It isn't going to be easy, honestly I'm not even sure it would work - it might be more harm than help in the end - and heaven only knows how I'll scrounge up the funds for it, but the mechanical augments would let you walk and use your arms and legs."

"How augmented would I be?" He asked hesitantly. It was an offer that sounded almost too good to be true, even with all the risks attached.

"In your state, entirely. I think you would need a full bodysuit to keep you stable at all times." She shook her head, sighing. "I just wish that I had more advanced tech to work with. Nanobiology is so new, and I know if it was just a little older and more established I might have a solution that would recreate your body and make you look as good as new." She thought back to the picture she had found of him in the file that he had at the base. She had read the whole thing through, and she could tell from the information there that he had likely been a vain person, proud of his physical fitness and features. His looks probably had a lot to do with the playboy lifestyle the file mentioned had put him out of good graces with his clan. His bright green hair had complimented his eyes quite well, and his face had an air of pride to it, full of haughty arrogance. Now he was sitting in front of her, green hair black at the roots and his once attractive face scarred and burned beyond recognition. She knew that he'd probably have a heart attack the first time he saw what was left of his face, which was why she had yet to mention it. Another sigh escaped her lips; this was turning into one sad, unending nightmare for her. It was one of the first times she had felt so useless. "But I can't recreate your body; I'm practically the only one on earth capable enough to research the subject, and with my necessity on Overwatch field missions my time for that has been dwindling day by day. The most I can promise is an attempt at making your life somewhat normal, and even then it's just an attempt. I'm sorry."

A long moment of silence passed between the two. Angela spent her time studying his face, or rather what had become of it, and Genji spent his time lost in thought. He wasn't sure what exactly it would mean for him to have his body altered so drastically. He couldn't imagine it being worse than the situation he was currently in, but even so, his entire body? It was too much for him to grasp at the moment. "Could I have some time to think about it?" He finally asked, deciding he at least needed to sleep on a decision this important.

"Of course!" Angela exclaimed, seeming almost relieved at his lack of decision. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Please, make sure you've thought about whatever you choose long and hard. I'll be willing to do whatever you decide." With that, she turned around and made her way back to her desk, immediately picking up her pencil and beginning work on another diagram. Genji eyed her curiously; had she been here this entire time?

"Miss Ziegler, have you slept?" He asked, slightly amused.

"Oh, I probably couldn't sleep right now even if I wanted to." She said with a kind smile, as genuine as could be. "Too much on my mind, you know? I live and breathe this kind of thing, so as much as every case worries me, I get a sort of rush whenever I get close to a breakthrough. Just don't mind me. Also, call me Angela or Mercy. Miss Ziegler makes me sound much too old for my liking."

He chuckled at this. "Alright Angela, but I still think you should sleep, at least a little."

Her scoff was poorly concealed, which caused Genji to genuinely laugh for the first time in a while. She was easy to mess with, similar to his older brother in that regard. That was one of the only things good about his older brother, really. His laugh was short lived, turning quickly into a fit of painful coughing, but it pulled a genuine smile out of the two of them all the same. Angela began humming absentmindedly as she worked while Genji considered his options. He was far from understanding what exactly he wanted, and even further from knowing what the implications of his choice could be. However, he did know that he could get used to spending time with someone as pleasant as this Mercy was.


	3. Chapter 3

**At like 11:00PM I felt like writing and decided I'd go to sleep when I was done. It's now 4AM and I somehow went through every youtube video I had saved to watch later instead of writing. Whoops (blame insomnia).**

* * *

Genji had only managed to spend about an hour after Angela had given him the information regarding his potential new enhancements before he dozed off again. This time when he awoke there were two people sitting next to his bedside. He recognized Angela immediately, but he didn't recognize the person next to her, who was looking less and less like a person as the blurriness of his vision faded away. Surely he had to be dreaming; there was no way that a massive gorilla was sitting next to his bed, having a pleasant chat with his doctor in what he assumed was German.

Once the initial shock of what he was seeing faded, he took a moment to listen to Angela's German; her voice was entirely different in her native language, almost astoundingly so. She sounded cool, mature, and confident, quiet a contrast to her worried and unnatural Japanese. The words themselves had a harshness to them that contrasted the soft nature of her voice interestingly, and he found that didn't mind listening, despite not understand a thing the two said.

Angela and her companion ceased speaking the moment they realized that he was awake. Within an instant Angela transitioned into the semi-fluent Japanese that he had become used to. "Ah, Genji, you're awake! How are you feeling?"

"Sore as all hell." He muttered unhappily. His limbs ached, even though they were practically just useless stumps at this point. Angela nodded and gave him an understanding smile, patting his hand affectionately as she did so.

"That's to be expected. But is it better than when we spoke last?" He thought back to right before he had fallen asleep, and considering the pain then, this was much better in comparison. He nodded mutely at her. "Wonderful. I tried a fresh batch of healing compounds on you that was supposed to be of the newest and strongest variety. I'm glad our research department can do at least _something_ useful in my absence. Now I suppose you're wondering who it is next to me; this is my dear friend Winston. Yes, he is a gorilla, and I know that might come as a surprise, but he is actually extremely intelligent and undeniably the best scientist we have here. I could tell you why all that is, but I'm sure he'd rather explain it to you himself, and now is not the time nor place to do such a thing. However, he is here to talk about what a mechanical body for you might be like."

Winston adjusted his glasses for a moment before picking up where Angela left off, looking Genji directly in the eye as he did so. Genji was surprised at how flawless his Japanese was, considerably better than Angela's. "So where to begin, hm? As Mercy said, my name is Winston, and I am the leading scientist here at Overwatch. She and I came here on a trip to deal with some legal business and a few odd patients; you're lucky that she ended up coming. I doubt that anyone in the world would be as capable of helping you, not to mention as dedicated to your restoration." A light blush graced Angela's face under the praise, causing Winston to chuckle and address her directly. "Well it's true. They hired you for a reason."

"Anyway, back to the subject at hand. As Mercy has explained to you, we would probably need to give you a full cybernetic suit to stabilize you and give you a full range of motion again. That would mean that it would be something you could never take off, at least in the stages of design we are currently in. I'm sure much down the road we'll have figured out a way to allow removal, but as of right now it just isn't in the realm of possibility. That means you'll always have a metal shell around your body; if we do this, it's unlikely you'll ever see your arms, legs, or torso again without modifications to the suit. They'll still be there, we won't need to amputate them, and they'll still have feeling, but that feelings would be extremely dull. That also means that we're going to need to replace a lot of regular human functions with robotic ones. I'll probably have to take away your need to eat; you still could, theoretically, but it would be a massive inconvenience to you instead of a help. And by that I mean you could digest whatever your body could potentially use, but you would need to throw up the excess. It's not a pretty image, I know, but it would be what we'd need to do. Aside from that, we could do our best to make things normal for you. Obviously no digestion system so also no using the restroom, and your new body wouldn't require sleep, but I know that I could program a sleep-like state that you could go into if you want. I'll be programming your suit and any added features, and Angela will be working on the design and the health aspects of it. Essentially, I'll be making sure the mechanical parts of your body will run properly while Angela will make sure the physical parts of your body work properly. The two of us have put a lot of time and thought into this, and I hope you make the correct choice."

Angela fumed at the end of the sentence, immediately turning to chide Winston. "I told you not to try to influence his decision! He should make whatever choice is right for him, not the one that he thinks we want him to make! Honestly I…"

"Doctor Ziegler, it's okay." Genji inserted, stopping her rant immediately. "I already made my choice. I don't want to live like this for the rest of my life, so I'll accept this mechanical body and the consequences that might come from it."

Mercy nodded, immediately calming down. "If that's what you want, Genji, then it's my honor and duty as your doctor to try to help in every way I can. It should only be a few more days until we reach a breakthrough; until then, try to rest as much as you can, and if you have any doubts, please let one of us know." At that, she pulled a small remote out of her pocket and rested in next to his hand. "I know you don't have fine motor skills, but you should be able to move your hand over slightly. If you ever need help or want to discuss something with Winston in particular, he's just a press of the button away. I should be here almost always, but if I'm gone for some reason and you need me specifically, you can still press it. We'll both come in that case." She gave him one last smile before turning back and sitting down on her sofa, picking up her laptop and staring intently at the screen.

Winston shook his head. "I swear she'll kill herself on accident one of these days. She's refusing to sleep, and I had to force her to agree to have a cot brought in the room so that she could rest if she needed to. She's always terrible, but I've never quite seen her this bad."

"I can hear you, you know!" Angela called from across the room without bothering to look up from her laptop, irritation clearly evident through her tone.

"I know, and it's nothing I haven't said to you before. Now go back to your work, you insane fool." She scoffed and turned back to her laptop, allowing Winston to continue addressing Genji. "But in all seriousness, if you need me for anything, I'm right there." Winston tapped the remote lightly. "It doesn't matter how trivial, I'm here for you. We both are."

Genji smiled at the kindness he was being shown. He hardly knew these people, and all they had done so far was help him. "I don't think I could ever repay you or Angela for everything you've done for me."

Winston smiled back at him. "I don't think Angela considers you to be in her debt." With a curt nod, the gorilla dismissed himself from the room. This left Genji to think on what the gorilla had spoken. How in the world could Angela not consider him in her debt? He owed her his life, if not more, and he'd be sure to repay her in every way he could, _when_ he finally could. However, it slightly unnerved him that the scientist had specifically only mentioned not owing any debt to Angela, but maybe he was just reading too far into things. He did know that he was exhausted once again, and he found himself falling asleep to the gentle hum of the machines and the quiet tapping of Angela's keyboard from the other side of the room.

* * *

When Genji woke up, the sounds of machines were still whirring in his ears; what was notable absent, however, was any noise from his doctor's side of the room. His expectation was that she had left, which was why he was notably surprised at what he saw when he turned his head. Angela's form was slumped over her desk, cheek squished against the hard wood. Her silvery blonde hair had created a halo of fuzz around her head, completely fallen from the ponytail that it had once been in. Her face was relaxed and completely peaceful, an expression he had yet to see. To be perfectly honest, it suited her quite nicely. A pencil was still loosely grasped in her hand and her cheek seemed to be plastered to the pages of a journal she had been writing in.

He studied her quietly for a few minutes, taking in how human she looked in that position. Up until that point she had just looked like the angelic Doctor Ziegler, able to work miracles for him that he suddenly felt convicted of taking for granted. But right now, looking like that, she just seemed like a normal, beautiful girl. It shamed him to think that she was exactly the type of girl that he would have called after on the streets. She was certainly pretty enough to be one of the girls he continuously chased after.

He sighed and looked down at the button near his hand. Winston had said he would be there to help him, and Genji couldn't think of a better opportunity to test that theory out. He rolled his hand over so that it was on top of the remote and pressed with as much force as could be manage. It didn't take long for the gorilla to be in the room, thirty seconds at tops.

As Winston began to speak, Genji shushed him, and the gorilla seemed taken aback for a moment. That was until Genji nodded towards the back of the room. Realization dawned in Winston's eyes, and he sighed in frustration, though it was impossible to miss his lips curling upward slightly. He clearly admired Angela's dedication, even if it did annoy the crap out of him.

It wasn't long before Angela was safely curled up against Winston's chest, breathing gently. Genji wasn't surprised she had slept through being picked up; with the lack of sleep she had likely seen in the past few days, he would be shocked if a foghorn could wake the woman up. If at some point in his life he had tried to stay up like that he would probably be out cold for an entire day afterwards. Winston shot him a grateful smile before exiting and lightly closing the door behind him. Genji figured the gorilla would probably bring Angela to her own sleeping quarters, where she belonged at the moment. He was glad that she was finally getting some sleep, but it felt oddly like there was something missing from the room. Over the past couple days he had unconsciously grown accustomed to the constant human presence with him, whether it was the tapping of her pencil, the clicking of keys, or the humming and sometimes soft singing in German. The room without the presence of another person felt much more mechanical and lifeless. He had enjoyed her company, even if he hadn't meant to enjoy it.

He shook his head in disapproval. There was no use in thinking about it now. And besides that, all he needed to do was fall back asleep, and he wouldn't notice a thing. Considering the constant state of physical and mental exhaustion he had been in since he had arrived at Overwatch, falling asleep was no problem at all, and he quickly dozed off once again.


	4. Chapter 4

**It's 4 in the morning again kek. I want to post something but I'm about to mentally crash, so I can't be bothered to read through it until tomorrow. Any small grammar stuff will be fixed as soon as I'm conscious enough to do it.**

 **Update: JK I'm OCD and I couldn't sleep until it was all fixed. So now it should be good ;D**

* * *

Days turned into weeks as Mercy and Winston worked together creating new a body for Genji. Within a few days Angela had a design she was happy with, but it took an extra week for the two of them to actually create that design. Angela was actually quite proud of what she had accomplished; it was definitely a feat of modern engineering and medical research beyond anything they had imagined creating at the start of the project. They had made a completely metal bodysuit for Genji from an alloy that would allow him to move fluidly while still providing a protective shell around him. It also had nerve endings that she was particularly happy with; they weren't as sensitive as human touch, but it was an accomplishment that they existed at all. She hadn't been sure exactly what she wanted to achieve regarding his sense of touch, if anything, so it amazed her that the outcome was that good.

What Angela wasn't happy with was the modifications that Winston might have been making to the suit. Even though she could tell he was trying to hide it from her, the diagrams lazily left out on his work table were more than enough to figure out what he was doing. Plans for shuriken, an attachable sheath, and programming that would allow for better fighting responses were just a few of the designs she happened to chance a glimpse of, and it made her furious. Winston knew that it was not her desire to work to make weapons, especially not when a human was being turned into a weapon- she had vehemently shot down the offer to work on creating super soldiers. She'd be livid with Winston if he actually put those designs into the suit without consulting her first. Hopefully it was just an idea of his, not something he put into practice.

But despite all her doubts about Winston, there was no denying that the creation was an intense labor of love for the two of them. It was immeasurably fun to create something so complex and, in her opinion, beautiful. Not to mention that Genji was perking up considerably as days went by. He was an interesting person, the more she got to know and understand him. He had a habit of making a joke at every opportunity possible, which meant plenty of inappropriate times. It seemed almost like he made a habit of trying to get under her skin, and every once in a while it actually worked. But despite the fact that he could annoy the crap out of her at times, she could tell that he truly cared about them and appreciated what they were doing for him. Overall, despite some annoying tendencies, she decided that Genji Shimada was a sweet and lovable person, almost reminding her of a stereotype she had heard concerning younger brothers.

Since she was making the suit to help someone she actually liked, the process was even more rewarding for her. And absolutely nothing was more rewarding than the moment when she got to announce to Genji that they were almost ready to hook him up to the suit.

"Thank God!" he exclaimed through a happy laugh. "I honestly can't wait to actually move out of this damn bed, you have no idea. And I'm so excited to finally stop being so sore all the time; it's obnoxious!"

Angela chuckled at his enthusiasm. "I can't promise that the soreness will go away immediately, though it won't be from your wounds this time. You haven't used your muscles in a while, and it will take them at least a few days to adjust to the extra weight along with the assistance of the suit. But yes, by the end of tomorrow you should be walking around, practically good as new."

"Thanks again, Doctor Ziegler. I owe you so much more than just my life; you're giving me a future as well."

Mercy sighed loudly, shaking her head. "Genji, really, just call me Angela. Also, don't thank me until we've actually done the procedure successfully."

"Fine, after the procedure I get to thank you as much as I want, Dr. Ziegler," he replied with a cocky smirk.

"That's not what I meant and you know it… hey, you called me Dr. Ziegler again!" Mercy fumed in realization, causing Genji to crack up with laughter. God, she really _was_ fun to mess with.

* * *

Doctor Angela Ziegler stood over the form of a newly created body, this time with Genji actually inside of it. Clipboard in hand, she flipped through the pages of notes and readings clipped onto it before, "…Winston?"

The gorilla loped over from the machine he was examining to stand next to Mercy's side. "Yes?"

"What in the name of all that is holy is this!" She hissed accusingly, pointing at a piece of paper that had been hidden at the bottom of the stack. Words like _shuriken_ , _katana_ , and _sheath_ stared at the gorilla accusingly in black font, accompanied by numbers that appeared to be tests confirming the working order of said parts. "And, pray tell, why does it seem that you have added these parts to my patient without my knowledge or consent?"

Winston pushed his glasses up onto his face and let out an annoyed sigh, as if bracing himself to scold an ignorant child. This, if anything, just made the doctor angrier. _'He'd better have a REAL good excuse for this,'_ she thought unhappily, contemplating exactly how difficult it would be to quit the organization without subsequently dooming hundreds of patients. "I'm sorry Doctor Ziegler, but I was on orders higher than your own. Telling you would have only upset you or made you not want to continue with the procedure, and Genji deserved better than that."

"He also deserved better than to be turned into a goddamn living weapon," she muttered under her breath, glancing back at the bed where Genji was now sleeping peacefully, completely encased in a suit of silver and green. She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Damn it, just go ahead and tell Morrison that he'd better be ready for the absolute hell I'm going to put him through the next time that I see him, and that he deserves every second of it. Better yet, tell him to ship his ass to Japan so he can get it over with quickly, and he'd better not try to fight back or I might just quit. I don't care that he's my boss; my one request was that my work not be turned into weaponry, and that's exactly what has happened. I hope you're happy with what you've done, Winston."

Winston looked sheepishly at the ground. If gorillas could blush from embarrassment, Angela was absolutely sure that he would have at that very moment. Despite the mature appearance Winston tried to maintain, the doctor was a whole eight years his senior; every time she got upset with him, it felt like a much older sister chastising their sibling for breaking something important. Most of the time there wasn't much for Angela to be upset about; the two had a mutual respect and friendship formed from being two of the brightest scientific minds the world had to offer. However, there were times when Winston would cross a boundary, and the doctor would make him immensely guilty for it; even so, never before had Angela seemed _this_ upset.

A long sigh escaped the doctor after a few awkward seconds of the gorilla avoiding her eye contact, "Go on, go talk to Morrison. I'll finish up the tests and be here for when Genji wakes up. But I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me what Morrison's motive is for this, if nothing else."

Winston was halfway to the door by the time she was done speaking, seemingly reluctant to stay in the doctor's vicinity for any longer than absolutely necessary and having to pause to actually give her a response. "He wants to use Genji to help with the Shimada problem in Japan. That's all I know. But you know who Jack is likely going to send to accompany Genji for assistance, right?" He called over his shoulder, waiting for her permission to completely leave.

"Yes, I can figure that part out myself. Now go on, please. I need some time to think." Winston gladly took his leave, closing the door tightly behind himself as he did so.

Angela stood in place for a moment, silent, before her emotions got the best of her. She crumpled to the ground, eyes brimming with tears. God, what had she _done?_ One of her greatest scientific achievements thus far had been turned into some kind of cruel joke. She had even seen those damn blueprints that Winston was drawing! Why had she not done something to stop this? And how could Jack- no, he was definitely Morrison right now- how could he even consider doing something like this to her? He had to know fully well exactly how much she would hate this, so why? Surely it had something to do with the idea that Genji now had a serious debt to Overwatch, but was not she, his doctor and rescuer, more qualified to say exactly what he did and did not owe?

She started bawling as she remembered Genji. Not only had she unwittingly turned a human being into a living weapon, but she had done it to someone she had learned to care about. He was as close to a genuine friend as she let people get, in this world where almost anyone at Overwatch could die on the next mission. The only people closer to her were her family- Ana, Jack, Gabe, and Fareeha. Her knees found themselves pressed tightly against her chest as she buried her face in her arms, crying loudly enough that she was sure the people in the hallway could hear it. Why? She had thought she'd finally be safe enough to be friends with someone, since they'd never be in danger or on a mission. But of course this would happen to her. _Of course it would._ And now she'd be stuck in Japan for however long it took to complete whatever arbitrary debt Morrison had tallied for her patient, because she was most certainly going to be his partner in the field. Not only would that be Morrison's wishes, but she felt a sense of duty to keep Genji safe, especially since the fact that he would be in danger was entirely her fault.

The words: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," were repeated over and over again, hiccups interrupting every other word. It wasn't as if anyone could hear her apology though. Winston had probably warned every person in the building to avoid her room like the plague, and Genji wasn't supposed to wake up for another few hours. She was alone, just like always. Alone with her heartache, alone with her pacifistic philosophies, and alone with her guilt. God, there was so much guilt. It swelled and festered and-

"Angela?" A quiet, slightly mechanical voice managed to cut through the loud sobbing. "Angela, are you okay? What's going on, has something happened?"

Ever so slowly, a blonde head lifted up from the arms in which it had been buried. _'Surely not, he wasn't supposed to wake up for another hour or two, I must be imagining-'_

"I know for a fact that you're going to be completely pissed at me if I stand up so soon after waking up, but I'll do it if you don't respond. I'm not going to lay down and listen to you cry." No, that was definitely the same snarky voice she had gotten used to over the past couple of weeks. Even with the slight metallic rasp, it was most definitely Genji.

Angela sighed and swiped the sleeve of her coat over her eyes. "I'm fine, there's no need to worry about me." Even to her own ears the lie was painfully obvious. She was still crying slightly and her voice was cracked and raw. She wasn't surprised at all when Genji scoffed.

"I hope you don't expect me to believe you, because if you thought I'd believe you then you would have to think I was extremely stupid," there was a short pause, as if Genji was thinking carefully about what to say next. "You know, you can talk to me about it if you need to. Even if it has something to do with me. I know I'm probably not the first person who you would want to comfort you, but I am here. So if it would help, go ahead, I'm all mechanical ears."

"I'd like to talk about it. Just give me a minute." Genji nodded, and Angela spent that minute dragging her desk chair next to Genji's hospital bed, falling into it clumsily. She stared at the hands sitting in her lap for a moment before clenching her eyes shut and concentrating, unsure of where to begin. "I guess I want to start by apologizing. I'm so very sorry. I really am, Genji."

She was surprised by the feeling of slightly cool metal wrapping around one of her hands. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Genji had taken her hand and was now stroking the back of it with his thumb. It was something that she always did unconsciously to her patients whenever trying to ease their pain or comfort them. Her mother had done it to her all the time when she was a child, and she found that often times it helped relieve the hurt someone might be feeling. There was no doubt in her mind that she had done the same thing to Genji at least a dozen times during his stay. The gesture meant the world to her; it was his wordless way of forgiving her in advance for anything that she might say.

She had almost cracked a smile before she saw the three long, vertical slits on the hand holding hers, undoubtedly where shuriken came out of. She scowled once again before sighing and shaking her head. There was no use pouting over what had already been done; now was just the time to come clean about it to Genji so that he knew what had happened and would be happening to him.

With that in mind she began, explaining everything that had happened, and how most of it had been done under her nose without her consent (notably spending an undue amount of time explaining in gruesome detail how she was going to beat the ever living crap out of Jack Morrison), ruining one of the most incredible things she had ever achieved in the blink of an eye. She explained that she was a pacifist, only working with Overwatch to save as many lives as she could, and that something that she had put so much care into had been weaponized without her knowledge stung like hell. And finally, she explained how guilty she was that Genji was now expected to do so much for Overwatch, and how disgusted she was at the fact that Morrison considered him to be in Overwatch's debt. The entire time Genji listened quietly, not saying a word until she was completely done.

"You know, it isn't unreasonable for them to want something from me," he finally admitted quietly. "I've taken two weeks of work from their two best minds away from them, along with whatever sum of money this suit must have cost. And, honestly, I think I'd enjoy the chance to take down the Shimada clan. A Shimada can cause nothing but trouble and heartache, and they deserve retribution for doing what they did to me. Surely you have to see that; if my older brother, probably the most reasonable one out of all of us, was willing to kill me just to maintain order, what would the rest of the clan do to everyone else? There isn't anything for you to be guilty for, in my opinion, and certainly nothing for you to apologize for. After all, you kept me from dying and gave me a second chance at a new life. That's nothing to be ashamed of, and I want to thank you for everything you have done, not blame you."

There was a long pause after Genji finished speaking. Angela spent a good minute looking from their joined hands the Genji's mask, almost as if trying to decide if what was happening was real, and if the words he had said were true. Genji had no doubt that everything he had said was the absolute truth; he felt no resentment towards the woman that had saved him, nor towards the organization that he was indebted to. If anything, he was glad that he could help. He wanted to repay his debts, as much as Angela insisted that they didn't exist. If he got to take down his brother and clan as a part of the deal, then that was more than he could ever have wished for. There was more than a little bit of resentment in the cyborg's heart for the family that had so completely and utterly betrayed him.

After a few minutes, it seemed that Angela was at least somewhat satisfied with what he had said. She slowly nodded, letting go of Genji's hand and standing up, moving her chair back to her desk as she did so. "I guess there's no use arguing over it now. I think now is the time to show you how to get around in that new body of yours, huh?"

Genji smiled widely behind his mask. "Now _that_ sounds like a great idea."


	5. Chapter 5

**IDK why but I love the idea of Genji keeping a snarky/playful/hyperactive personality until Zenyatta beats it out of him later, at which point his old personality is still only** _ **mostly**_ **gone. So that's how I'm writing him c;**

* * *

Having such a colorful addition to the team of higher ups in Overwatch was more interesting than Angela would like to admit, and watching Genji get to that point was quite fun. As her new partner, the two of them stuck together most of the time, something the cyborg liked to point out frequently. He constantly complained about "Having this deadbeat on this case constantly," but it was hard to miss the poorly hidden smirk on his face or the playful tone every time he said it. As much as he liked to complain about her and mess with her, they both knew that he enjoyed the time they spent together.

That didn't mean that he wasn't an ass half of the time. Because, yes, he was definitely that. It had taken twice as long as it should have to get the idiot settled into his new body and routine because he simply refused to listen for longer than five seconds at the time. Whenever she tried to explain something new, every other sentence of hers was punctuated with a question or comment of his or, alternatively, a bored sigh.

Early on in the process he had agreed to speak mainly in English, since it was a language almost everyone working at Overwatch was required to learn. After seeing that he sometimes struggled with finding the right words to express a thought, Angela had offered to tutor him. He had agreed, sure, but only because he knew that he needed to. Each time she tried to help, he tried his hardest to distract himself from the subject, or every once in a while he'd try to distract her as well. The worst case of this was when he kept asking her about her personal and family life. She had fallen easily for it, especially since he made a point to look genuinely interested in what she had to say. Only after two hours of discussing everything from her childhood home to her music tastes had Angela realized exactly what he had done. She had been livid afterward, refusing to speak with him for days after that, especially after he insisted over and over again that he really _was_ genuinely interested and not simply trying to distract her. Most of the time it wasn't that bad; he'd often doodle, or sometimes he'd just stare vacantly at her face like he was in a whole different world. Angela often found herself wondering what he thought about when he did that.

All of that was just a piece of the life the two of them were living between the missions to take down the Shimada clan. Angela would teach Genji how to fix a loose part of his suit, how to pronounce words, or try to help him cope with the fact that he was now half machine. In return, Genji helped Angela quietly in the background, almost like he was trying not to be noticed doing it. He had to have some sort of instinct that told him when she was stressed, because every time she spent an all-nighter worrying about a patient or working on a project, he'd show up the next day demanding that they go visit a restaurant he hadn't been to in a while that he was sure she'd like, even though he didn't eat. Occasionally whenever she came back to her desk after a long surgery or procedure, she'd find the place completely spotless, and all of her papers would be organized. That was one thing that really astounded her; Genji hated cleaning. His living quarters had been an absolute pit since the day he received them, but he never hesitated to help her with her space when she needed it. It was things like those that made Angela trust Genji so completely. As much as he liked to act like an ass all of the time, he always had her back, whether he wanted to acknowledge that fact or not. And, of course, she always had his.

Though that didn't stop her from being absolutely pissed whenever they were on missions together. Genji's style was fast and stealthy, mostly because that was the way Winston programmed him - as an assassin. But sometimes he was just a little too fast or too insistent on being stealthy.

"Genji, could you please get back here?" she whisper-shouted, trying to reach the ears of the person now on the other side of a massive wall. She heard what sounded way too much like a snicker before some scuttling. Genji appeared at the top of the wall, and she could tell he had a shit-eating grin on his face under his mask. She was tempted to smack it off of him as her Valkyrie suit allowed her to glide to his position. "I really hate you," she mumbled under her breath, glaring at the suited figure now scanning the darkness of the traditional Japanese courtyard underneath them.

"Love you too," came the snarky reply. She barely had time to snort before Genji jumped off of the wall, landing on the ground like a cat. She opened her wings and glided down to the ground, gently landing next to him. There was only a split second pause before he scuttled off across the empty space of the courtyard in the blink of an eye. He continued on, peering around a doorway to look if the coast was clear. Angela intended to follow him, but there was one problem; he had gotten out of her line of sight, and her suit was already fidgety when considering him a human that she could fly to. She swore quietly as her wings refused to activate, not sensing that there was someone in need to fly to, and Genji continued on without her. He probably thought that she was right behind him; he would never leave her behind on purpose while they were in a dangerous area.

"Work, work damn you," she repeated as she tried over and over to activate her suit's Guardian Angel mechanisms. Unluckily for her, it didn't seem like it wanted to cut her a break. And even more unluckily, the courtyard was massive and almost completely empty of cover; there was no way she would be able to cross quickly enough on foot to avoid being seen. She really, really needed Genji to come back for her, and sooner would be preferable to later.

"Did you hear something? Go check that out." A voice from around the corner demanded in Japanese. Angela's eyes widened. _'Damn it, why did I say anything?'_ There was almost no point in looking for a hiding spot; her suit had a very faint light gold glow whenever it was especially dark, and it was almost midnight outside. Even if she did find a place to hide, that would give her away instantly. But she still tried, ducking behind a corner and pressing herself against the wall. Her Caduceus staff was tucked into her belt, quickly replaced in her hands by her pistol. The thing wasn't extremely effective, considering her strict pacifistic nature, but she knew better than to go into a war completely unarmed.

Eventually, a pair of footsteps entered the building she was hiding in, quickly zoning in on her position. _'Well, can't say I didn't try hiding.'_ Angela thought bitterly, waiting patiently for the footsteps to round the corner. As soon as they did, she released a round of bullets into the surprised face of the generic looking but well built guard before scuttling down the hallway at full speed. He called angrily after her, and when she looked back she could tell that her bullets had only mildly annoyed him, not done any real damage. Panic rose in her gut as she began knocking furniture into the way whenever she could, dodging the angry bullets flying towards her by rolling and ducking.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for her to get hopelessly lost in the maze of a building. She had no idea where she was or where she was going, and that was a massive problem. At any moment she could be barreling headfirst into more enemies. Her one hope was to get to a higher floor, break a window, and float out, or have Genji miraculously find her. Considering Genji had been the one to forget her in the first place, she went for Option A, looking around for a set of stairs to climb. It didn't take long to spot one, and with one sharp left turn she was racing up the flights of stairs. The guard cursed as he tripped over a step, which made Angela almost cry in relief. That was about ten seconds more time that she desperately needed.

That relief quickly turned into dread as she reached the top of the stairs. In front of her was a hallway that dead-ended, looking much like an attic. Albeit, the hallway was quite long, but it was a dead end all the same. She froze in fear, unsure of what to do. Could she maybe trick the guard into letting her back downstairs? It might take some planning, but it wouldn't be impossible.

Then all planning was cut off by a large hand grabbing her neck and pushing her up against the wall. _'Damn, how did he get up here so quickly?'_ She clawed at the hand and jammed the butt of her pistol into his stomach, but she wasn't an agent of Overwatch for her brute force. The guard laughed and ripped the gun out of her hand, throwing it across the floor. "Well look what I've got here, a little bird caught so far from its nest. Where's your partner, because I know for sure that you didn't come here alone. You barely look like you could fight off a kitten."

She spat in his face angrily. "Burn in hell." The response lost some of its edge due to the fact that she was currently gasping for air, but it held some of its intended potency all the same.

"I'm sure I can make you talk, it's just easier if you give me the information I want willingly. You're as good as dead if I want you to be, hun." The guard growled menacingly, tightened his grip on her neck, and raised her up off of the ground so that her feet were dangling in the air.

"Poor choice," Angela coughed out before tucking in her legs and pushing them back out, kicking his stomach with all the force left in her body. The guard dropped her, more in shock than in pain (though there was still a good amount of pain), and she tumbled to the ground. A few of her limbs crackled ominously as she stood up, but the adrenaline pumping through her bloodstream was more than enough to ignore whatever injuries might have occured. She bolted for her gun, picking it up before racing for the stairs, coughing all the while, trying to get her voice back properly.

"Not so fast." A hand reached out and grabbed her ankle, sending her tumbling back to the ground. Angela let out an earsplitting shriek. She had been ignoring it, but that ankle was most definitely broken. Crap. "Good try though."

"GENJI!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as the guard pinned her squirming and struggling form to the ground. Honestly, it was a desperate attempt. If Genji hadn't found her already, he was never going to. This was it. This was how she was going to die.

However, that name caused the guard to pause. "What tha' hell do you think you're screaming that name for?" His eyes blazed furiously. "Genji Shimada is dead, in case you haven't heard. And you're about to join him. As much as I admire your effort, no one gets away from me. I'd sooner die than let that happen."

Angela closed her eyes and let out a long breath. This hadn't been how she had wanted to die, but at least she had made a valiant effort. It wasn't a complete failure; hindsight being twenty-twenty, she probably shouldn't have gone back for her gun. Cool metal pressed against her temple and braced for the impact, wondering if death would be nice. Maybe her biological parents were waiting for her there, wherever there was.

What she wasn't expecting was for a large weight to fall on her chest, knocking the breath out of her. She wheezed and opened her eyes, seeing the dead guard lying prone on top of her, a silver and green cyborg standing over the dead body, blade drawn. Angela obviously couldn't see Genji's face, but she could tell the ninja was murderously angry (literally). His breathing was more heaving than normal and extremely rasped, like he was barely keeping himself from screaming at the corpse on the ground. His hand was wrapped so tightly around the glowing green katana that she was afraid the hilt might crumble under his grip. His other hand was balled in a fist, which he promptly smashed into the wall behind him to let out some of the rage. She could have sworn she saw what looked like tiny bolts of green lightning crackling at the impact, though it was probably just a trick of the light.

But that anger quickly died away when his head tilted back toward Angela. He knelt down next to her, pushing the dead guard off and examining her. The suit around her ankle was stained the color of blood, and her neck had a bright red hand printed on it. But what was the worst was her face; her hair was an absolute mess, settling every which way on top of her head. Her eyes were wide with fear and completely bloodshot, tears building up in the corners of them. He had never seen her look so terrified, and they had been in a lot of scary situations together thus far.

She flung herself into his arms, crying loudly as she buried her face into the metal plates on his neck. "You left me, you got too far away and I couldn't fly to you," she stammered pathetically, breaking his heart. "I thought I was going to die, that I was going to leave so many people alone without help."

Guilt flooded over him in a hurricane. God, he was such an idiot. It had taken him a few minutes to realize that Angela wasn't behind him, and by that point she was absolutely nowhere to be seen. This wouldn't have happened if he was more careful; he knew that even though she was incredible mentally, she was extremely physically fragile, that she _needed_ him to be there in order to survive situations like this. And he had gotten impatient and left her behind, expecting her to be able to keep up with his impossibly quick movements. How could he be so much of a moron?

Genji sighed and wrapped one of his arms around Angela's waist, using the other hand to run through her hair, fixing it a bit in the process. "I'm sorry." He mumbled quietly. "I know, I know, I'm stupid and a disaster to be around and I just hope you can forgive me. I'm always giving you so much crap, and you are way too kind to me despite it all. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I do hope you can give it to me anyways."

Despite everything, Angela chuckled. "You know, for some reason I find it extremely easy to forgive your sorry ass." She lifted her head out of her shoulder, a massive smile breaking through the morose cloud surrounding the two of them. "Just don't do it again, got it?"

He grinned, even though he knew Angela couldn't see behind his mask. It amazed him how much of an incredible person she was. "Got it. Now, I think it's time we get out of here."

" _That_ is an amazing idea," she said enthusiastically. "Do you know how to do that? Because I have exactly no idea where we are."

"I do indeed. Just follow my lead." Genji expected her to stand up at this, but she didn't. She just stayed where she was, arms wrapped around his neck.

"Sorry, but as punishment you get to carry me out of here. My Valkyrie suit heals me, but it takes a lot of energy from me and I'm about to pass out as is." She gave him a tired grin, closing her eyes and yawning as she did so.

"I suppose that's fair." With that, the mechanical ninja picked his doctor up, and the two of them made their way out of Shimada castle, both a little shaken up, but bodies and friendship both miraculously intact.


	6. Chapter 6

Angela and Genji had been through a lot together in the year they spent in Japan. The two of them took down an entire clan by themselves and come back with plenty of scrapes and bruises to show for it (all of which Angela had insisted that she fix up immediately, no matter how small). It was a long process, but it had been a rewarding one. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the children who could now play in the streets once haunted by the ferocious gang was more than enough reward.

The problem was, they had done it. And now that they were done, Genji had way too much time on his hands. It hadn't been all dull; he had gone back to Switzerland with Angela, since he knew no one else in his life to keep him company. It was certainly an adventure going to the foreign country, and he had even started learning German, much to the doctor's delight. But even she could only occupy him for so long.

And when he sat alone on nights just like this one in the room Angela let him stay in, he had no protection against the thoughts he buried for more than a year after they left Japan.

At least one of his thoughts was pleasant. He came to the realization that he had fallen headfirst in love with his precious doctor. When he wasn't denying his feelings they were a lot harder to hide, but it gave him a sense of relief to admit what he felt to himself. He could now let those blue eyes haunt his dreams without wondering what it meant, because he knew.

But thinking about Angela led him to a much darker realization about his own feelings, ones of not being good enough. It dug up the feelings of disgust that he felt for himself and his new body. There were times in the middle of the night when he'd feel tempted to rip the metal plating off and throw it across the room in anger. Something inside of him ached at the thought that he might not really be human anymore, that he was just a fancy omnic. He knew that it was stupid to feel that way. After all, Angela thought his mechanical body was incredible- it was one of her greatest prides. But that scared him too; what if all he was to her was a fancy experiment? He had seen her go through hundreds of patients a day, acting as sweet and tender to each of them as she had the day he met her, only for each of them to be forgotten by her as soon as they left her hospital. What if she only kept him around because she wanted to see what would happen with him, her greatest experiment? He could hardly imagine his Mercy being so cruel, but could it be that he didn't know her as well as he thought that he did?

He hated to admit it, but those thoughts led him to become immensely depressed and antisocial. He knew Angela noticed- she was a doctor, after all- but she chose not to comment on it, perhaps to give him space to work it out himself. He had denied any Overwatch work after he finished taking down the Shimada clan because he had quickly lost most of his trust for the peacekeeping agency. He was still there for Angela whenever she needed him, but only when it involved Angela. She quickly became the only person he trusted, and he was even starting to feel paranoid around her, too.

Genji groaned and pressed his hands against his face mask. God, he was going crazy.

He heard the door open from across the house. Angela was finally home, then. She had taken a late night shift to finish an operation, and she was probably exhausted. Genji let out a light sigh and stood up, making his way to the front door just in time to see the doctor stumble in tiredly. She smiled sleepily at him, a smile he couldn't help but return, even though she couldn't see it through his visor. He motioned her towards the couch and made his way into the kitchen, pulling out a package of Swiss hot chocolate that he had discovered early on in the year he spent in Switzerland was one of her guilty pleasures. He made her a cup of the stuff before heading to where she was sitting on the couch, handing her the mug before plopping down next to her. She smiled gratefully and leaned against his shoulder, yawning loudly as she did so. It was a routine they had gotten into after Genji discovered how many nights she took the late shift. Her taking a late shift meant a patient was in critical condition, and extreme cases always frayed her nerves to the breaking point. Talking about it helped her calm down, so he was always there for her to talk to.

"It went well," she mumbled happily, sipping on her hot chocolate carefully as it cooled. "Patient seems stable, I shouldn't have to come in tomorrow, so I'll have the day off." Genji nodded, waiting for her to say more. There was usually more, and it was always best to listen to all of her tired rambling before saying anything himself.

"It was actually kinda fun. I'm getting close to another breakthrough that might improve nanobiology as a whole, and this patient was a good way to test some theories I've had. Who knows, I may be able to finish that major project I've been working on for a while. Then I'll be able to tell you about it." There had been a large experiment that Angela had been working on that only she knew about. She claimed that it was best if it was kept a complete secret until she either proved or disproved her theories; apparently it was something that would change the world, and if it got into the wrong hands it would change it for the worse.

"Also, I was thinking. We kinda act like an old married couple, ya know? We're constantly bickering, and you always do sweet things like this for me," she gestured to the cup of cocoa in her hands, "and I feel so completely safe around you. It's a wonder, really." she set down the cup on the coffee table, sitting up and grabbing Genji's face in her hands and forcing him to look her in the eyes, as if he had to know exactly how much she meant the words she was about to say. "And Genji, I want you to know that you can tell me anything, okay? I don't know if you feel the same way around me as I do around you, but if you don't I want you to. You're completely safe if you ever want to tell me anything. Even if you don't tell me something, but you want me to understand anyways, I'll do my best to do that too. I'll always do my best to understand what you're going through, and if you ever need help you can talk to me. You don't have to talk to me, but you can, and that's important. Just do what is best for you, always."

Sincere blue eyes peered into Genji's green mask, trying to convey everything that she couldn't find the words to say. He knew exactly what she was talking about; she wanted him to know that she would always be here for him, and that she knew what was going on, even if he couldn't talk about it, probably specifically referring to depressed attitude as of late. It warmed his heart and banished all of his previous doubts about her sincerity. However, the talk about doing what was best for him brought a crazy idea to the front of his mind, one that he had been ignoring for a while. In the back of his head rested the idea of going out, finding himself, discovering a way to feel normal and human again. It was a stupid and selfish idea, but it was almost like Angela was giving him permission to do exactly what he had been considering. "Thank you, Angela. Please don't hold it against me if I ever do something that makes no sense, or if I somehow hurt you. If I ever do hurt you, it wasn't intentional."

"Of course not. As I've said before, it's unbelievably easy to forgive you, for some reason." She smiled and dropped her hands from his face, yawning loudly as she did so. "Anyway, I'm about to pass out, so I should probably go to bed. Take care tonight, Genji."

He nodded, watching as she walked off. He had a lot to think about tonight.

* * *

When Angela woke up, the house was eerily quiet. Genji's bedroom was right next to hers, and normally she could hear the faint whirring of his mechanical parts coming from the room in the mornings. She checked in there for her robotic companion, only to be greeted by a made bed, which was strange, because Genji never made his bed. It was like he was allergic to orderliness unless it was intended make her life easier. Now that she thought about it, the entire room seemed strangely empty and clinically clean. Her drowsy brain was too tired to think about it too much, and she made her way back out into the house, sleepily calling out her companion's name.

She poked her head into the living room. "Genji?" Nope, not there. Maybe her office? "Hey Genji, where are you?" Still nothing. She made her way towards the kitchen. "I was thinking for lunch today we could go try out a restaurant that one of my friends was raving about, since I have the day off." The thought of their lunch routine made her smile. Genji long ago established that while he had no desire to eat himself due to having to throw up afterwards, he wanted to enjoy food vicariously through her. It was something she found adorable, and she knew one day she would have to design a way for him to eat normally as thanks.

Angela rubbed her eyes and walked into the kitchen. Nope, no Genji. The only other place in her small house was her basement, which she never let anyone into. It was where her most important experiments took place, and she liked to keep most of those secret.

She was about to give up until she saw a mug on the counter, steam pouring out of the top of it. She picked it up curiously, noticing that it was another cup of cocoa, except this time there was a sticky note attached. She pulled the note off of the cup, squinting at the words. It took her eyes a few moments to adjust to the small writing, surprising her when she recognized it to be written in German. It wasn't long before her eyes focused enough so that she could read it.

" _Hey. What you said to me last night made me think a lot. Think about doing what's best for me, which is something that I haven't been doing since my life started over.  
I think it's time I did something about that. So I'm going out. I don't know how long I'll be gone, or even what I'm looking for. All I know is that I need to keep going until I find what I'm looking for.  
But I will be back. I promise that no matter what happens, I'll come back to show you what I find, good or bad.  
Goodbye for now, my Angel of Mercy._

 _-Genji Shimada"_

It took everything Angela had not to drop the cup she had in her hands. Instead, she gripped it so tightly that the ceramic threatened to break. So Genji was gone, just like that? No goodbye, just a cup of hot chocolate and a note? She read the note again and again, trying to make sense of it in her sleep-addled brain. She knew about his depression, and although she wasn't sure what it was about, she had a few guesses. Was this his way of trying to find himself? What did he think that he would find out there, other than the hopeless state of the world they lived in?

She had promised him that she'd do her best to understand without being told, but damn, this was harder than she thought it would be.

It took a few minutes before reality sunk in: Genji was gone, for an unspecified amount of time. The person who all of her coworkers joked was physically attached to her was just missing. It felt like a piece of her heart had been ripped out.

She slumped to the floor with her back against the kitchen cabinets, rubbing her thumb back and forth over the note. But maybe it wasn't all bad; Genji could take care of himself, and if this helped him, then it was worth it. And he promised that he'd be back, so all she had to do was wait, right? They had spent nearly two years together; he wouldn't forget the companionship that had grown in that time. He wouldn't just leave and never come back. He wouldn't do that to her. He _couldn't_ do that to her. She just had to believe in him and wait.

So she waited. And waited. And waited. She waited for weeks, months, even a year. It was hardest at first because it took a long time to get used to being so numb. At the beginning she used to expect to open her front door and see Genji waiting for her, laughing at her silliness and calling her Doctor Ziegler just to annoy her. But that ended after a month or two. At one point she had asked Winston if he could find Genji's location. She knew it was an invasion of his privacy, but she had to know he was still alive and okay. When Winston found him in Nepal, he asked her if she wanted to send a team out there to meet him. She considered it, but she ended up declining. Just knowing that he was safe was enough.

Towards the end of the first year, she began to accept that he might never come back. As much as she hated the thought, she accepted the lonely, aching feeling of abandonment with open arms. It meant that she could focus on other things if she accepted her loss and moved on.

So she stopped fighting and embraced the ache in her heart. She gave up on the idea of Genji ever coming back, and she learned to live with that, as much as she hated herself for quitting so easily.

But even then, a small part of her heart kept waiting. Even as a full year without her cyborg companion passed by and the days stretched on after, that part of her never gave up on him, because it's impossible to completely give up on someone when they mean absolutely everything to you.


	7. Chapter 7

**You people have no idea how hard I have been trying to make this chapter work. I have written and rewritten this chapter at least three times before this attempt. And I mean _scrapped_ kind of rewritten. Three over 3k word attempts just gone, because they sucked, if I'm honest. So I hope you know that I've been trying, it just hasn't been working. The only way I got it to work was to make it super long.**

 **Hopefully you guys like this. It took a while.**

 **Also, I find it hilarious that all of the hate comments are anonymous xD Like come on guys, if you're going to try to insult me, do it to my face. And if you're trying to make me feel bad, it ain't workin, hun. If anything, I find it flattering; it means that my story is big enough that people think they'll get an angry fan reaction if they insult it. Compliment in a weird way, if you think about it. Not to mention that I have no insecurities about my writing capabilities. I think I'm fine :')**

 **Anyways! On to the long overdue story. I have a feeling that once I get past this chapter, it's going to be a breeze to finish the rest. (This is future Meg. I was wrong).**

* * *

April 3rd, about a year and a half after Genji left.

* * *

"Hey Angie, Fareeha keeps bothering me to organize a girls' night with you, says it's long overdue, and it wouldn't be complete without her big sister."

Angela smiled weakly at Ana, who had sought Angela out in the hospital ward of the base in Switzerland, probably because the doctor hardly ever answered calls anymore. All she really did was work, read, sleep, rinse, repeat. It was unfair to her makeshift family, which consisted of her "parents" Ana, Morrison, and Reyes, and her "sister" Fareeha (Ana's daughter), but she couldn't help it. As much as she hated to admit it, she was still quite torn up over Genji leaving. She had never been one to heal emotional wounds easily, much preferring to ignore them. And the best way to ignore them was to focus on work, which was exactly what she had been doing.

"Ah, that sounds lovely, but I don't know if I can take any time off of work right now. I'm pretty booked." Angela knew she was a terrible liar, so it came as no surprise to her when Ana scowled at her fake smile. Apparently her smiles never reached her eyes when she lied. The doctor wondered in passing how long it had been since a smile _had_ reached her eyes.

"I already spoke with Jack and Gabe about it. We all believe that you deserve a few days off. You've been working much harder than anyone would ever ask of you, and the three of us are concerned that you might overwork yourself at this rate." Ana's tone left no room for question; Angela would be taking a break, whether or not she wanted to. If the motherly sniper had to drag her "daughter" out of the hospital by the arm, she would most definitely do it. The Amaris had an odd way of convincing people to do what they wanted.

"Oh, alright." Angela finally relented, sighing and rubbing her temples. "When does this leave start?"

"Why, Angie, right now, of course!" Ana cheered gleefully. It was all Angela could do to suppress a groan. While she loved Ana and Fareeha dearly, it was going to be a stressful week.

* * *

November 4th, exactly 2 years since Genji left

* * *

Angela had experienced many long days over the course of her lifetime, which should have come as no surprise to anyone. No one could be the best doctor in the world without a handful of long days and even longer nights, and today was among the few that could stick out for being particularly bad. A surgery that she had started the day before had lasted twice as long as it needed to, meaning she worked throughout the entire night and into the morning. After that was a meeting with the other higher ups in Overwatch about some nasty business with the UN. She had attempted to get out of it, but they specifically wanted her to be there. For whatever reason, the UN was absolutely in love with her, probably because of her pacifistic nature. She had more than once resolved a conflict between the two organizations that would have otherwise ended in disaster, and she had to do it once again after hours of negotiation.

Normally after a day like that she'd waste no time crashing in her bed as soon as she stepped into her house. But today was no one of those days. It wasn't her bedroom she made her way into this time.

Tired beyond belief, emotionally and physically, Angela cautiously opened the door to Genji's old room. Immediately, she broke out into a fit of coughs. While her experiments with her own health in the Valkyrie suit had taken away her allergy to dust, along with almost every other medical ailment, there was no way to avoid the layers upon layers of the irritating stuff coating almost every surface in the room.

Genji's room was almost completely untouched, and purposefully so. It was as if the good doctor didn't want to disturb what Genji had left so long ago. He had been here in this very room when it looked exactly as it did now, and ruining that felt like disturbing something sacred to Angela. However, after two years of neglect every surface was caked in dust, and the light that filtered through the room displayed more of the stuff floating through the air. Angela had even kept from changing the bedding, despite how stale it smelled from being unwashed.

The only thing that had changed was what was on the nightstand next to the bed. There sat a small framed picture, immaculate compared to everything else. It was a picture that she and Genji took with one of the children they had rescued from the Shimada clan. The girl was clutching a stuffed bear, smiling up at the adults with her. Genji had a peace sign up, posing for the camera, but Angela was completely unaware of the picture being taken of her, caught mid laugh. It was one of her favorite pictures now, a window into a time so long gone it could have been a dream.

Angela paused in the doorway of the room, taking in the almost completely empty space. With a resigned sigh she passed through into the room, immediately collapsing onto the old bed, her legs dangling off the side. She lay back and rubbed her eyes wearily before finally focusing on the picture, which she had been purposefully ignoring up until that point.

"Hey," came the soft whisper of Japanese. "It's been two years, you know. Exactly two years. And man, have I felt every second of it." Angela still wasn't perfect at the language, but she was significantly better than the last time she had been around a native speaker. She had been practicing, after all.

"Everyone is doing as well as we can be. With the omnic problems finally nearing an end, I guess we're all just wondering what we're supposed to do afterwards. Well, I'm not wondering too hard. As long as I have my work, I'll be okay. The world could always use a few good doctors." She smiled lightly at this. Everyone at Overwatch never hesitated to remind her how good she was at what she did. It was like having a constant cheerleading squad behind her.

"Gabe is still an endearing ass all of the time, and Jack is still a boy scout. Ana is doing well too; she's bringing her daughter in a lot to have her learn from us. Do you remember Fareeha? She's a lot like a little sister to me. Which is fitting, seeing as those three old farts still insist on acting like I'm their adopted daughter. I don't think you got to see enough of them to understand that dynamic. After all, most of the time we spent together was in Japan. But they're my family in almost every sense but blood."

She let out a resigned sigh. "They keep saying that I need a new best friend. Everyone does, even Lena. And she's too oblivious to notice if she forgot to put on shoes. You didn't get a chance to meet Lena, did you? They recruited her pretty recently, all bright eyed and ready to be the world's greatest pilot. She's a sweetheart, that one. I can't wait to see what she'll be able to pull off in a jet. But back to the subject at hand, I don't think it's as easy as they think it is. I bond with people so closely that it takes a while to move past it. Lena and Fareeha have also teamed up to try to get me a date. They keep claiming that I'm wasting my opportunity to find a relationship, since I just turned twenty eight, which is apparently geriatric in their eyes. I shut them down immediately."

"I just don't think I'm really the dating type; after all, I'm practically married to my work. I can't imagine anyone who would be willing to date someone who is never around. Not only that, but I don't think anyone who isn't in Overwatch would ever be able to understand what the members go through. And I don't want to date someone in Overwatch because I'm scared of what might happen to them, or me. So those two are really just wasting their time."

There was a long pause before Angela spoke again next. She mulled her thoughts over in her head, choosing her words carefully, as if the person in the picture could actually hear them. "I… I gave up on you coming back. I started that process about a year ago, and believe me, it was a process. But I think I've accepted that I might never see you again, and I'm learning to live with that." Her eyes widened and she hastily added, "Don't take that the wrong way, if you ever do come back I'll be so happy! You have no idea how much I missed you all this time. It felt like a chunk of me had gone missing. I was closer with you than anyone else in Overwatch, after all; you were my best friend. And while that piece of me is still gone, I'm learning to live with its absence. You'll always still hold that spot in my heart. But I've gotten used to the ache, and it doesn't define me anymore. There are days when it does, yes. But they're few and far between now."

Angela looked away from the picture, blinking up at the ceiling vacantly, lost in another world. "I just hope you don't miss me the same way that I miss you. I hope that wherever you are, you're truly and utterly happy. How is Nepal, if you're still there? Have you met any nice people or learned anything new? I definitely hope so. You deserve wonderful people in your life."

Angela sat up slowly, groaning as the sore muscles in her back ached. "I think that's all I really wanted to tell you. Thanks for letting me get that all off of my chest. I caught you up on pretty much everything, too. Well, I guess I'll see you in another year, huh?" She smiled fondly at the picture in the frame, leaning over and wiping a few specks of dust off of it. After she was satisfied, she stood up and made her way to the door, waving at the empty room before latching the door tightly behind her. Another year had come and gone, and it was time to face the next with open arms.

* * *

October 23rd, nearing three years since Genji left.

* * *

Another day, another conference. That seemed to be Angela's life since the problems with the omnics ended. Never a day to rest and hardly any time to work on any of her personal projects.

However, as she neared the conference hall, something seemed… off. She couldn't quite place her finger on it, but there was definitely something wrong with the atmosphere. Normally she could hear Gabe and Jack bickering at each other like an old married couple (occasionally much more violently than that, especially after the end of the war) or the sounds of Winston preparing his newest experiment. Every once in a while she'd walk by and hear raucous laughter from one of Lena's terrible jokes. It was never all of these things, but there was always something. Never this… almost bone chilling quiet.

She pushed open the doors to the conference room enough to poke her head in. Sure enough, they were all there; Jack was standing in his normal position at the head of the table, but there was no light in his eyes today. No one was saying a word. The only noise was the soft sound of crying coming from Fareeha, whose presence alone meant something was off. They never let her into important meetings, considering she wasn't even an Overwatch agent.

"What's going on?" Angela finally asked, breaking the sacred silence that had held the room's occupants captive. All eyes snapped up to look at her, most containing a strange mix of sadness and pity. The off feeling in her stomach turned into a sense of dread, eating her up from the inside.

"I'm sorry, Angie." Jack finally said. His blue eyes were lifeless and bloodshot, evidence that he too had been crying at one point. "I know that you two were close, and I'm so sorry." The pit of dread grew. That could not be good. "It's… Ana."

No. No no no. "Where is she?" Mercy asked frantically, her eyes wide with shock. "You have to let me see her if something is wrong, I can do something! I can…"

"She's gone." Gabriel mumbled, his voice deadpan. "She went on a mission and the cadets with her told us she was shot through the scope, right into her head. They retreated immediately, couldn't go back for her body. Angie, she's dead." Angela stood there in shock as Fareeha's crying renewed in earnest. It had to be a lie, it just _had_ to be. There was no way a woman like Ana Amari could be defeated so easily, not on such a basic mission. There had to be an inconsistency.

But at the same time, she had never seen Jack cry. Gabriel had never been this morose, as much of a griping ass he could be. Hell, neither of them had called her Angie in _years_. Only Ana, who had come up with the nickname in the first place, still called her it on a regular basis.

Grief washed over her. Ana, her makeshift mother, the woman full of nicknames and smiles and girls' nights, was gone. No soldier in their right mind would have left her if she was still alive. Ana was gone, and there might have been something that could have been done, had Angela been there.

"I let her die…" she whispered softly to herself, tears pooling in her eyes. "I wasn't there for her when she needed me to be. I could have… I should have…"

Gabriel spoke up once again, his tone much softer than normal, "There was nothing you could have done. You can't blame yourself for this, there was nothing you or anyone else could do. There was no way for us to know that anything serious would happen on such a routine scouting mission."

"You can't just say that and expect me to be okay with this." Angela hissed, lashing out at Reyes. "Because if I have that mindset, what happens when it's another one of you? You guys are my family. I can't lose you. I've already lost too much." Tears swelled back up into the corners of her eyes.

"That's the price you pay for joining an organization like this." Jack retorted. "People will die and people will leave. We have to accept that and move on."

"How can you say that!" she screamed, slamming her fist into the table. She knew it was unreasonable to be acting like this. Jack and Gabe had known Ana for much longer than she had, and Ana was Fareeha's _actual_ mother. But that didn't make her any less angry, or make her feel any less responsible for failing someone yet again. "How dare you make it sound that easy! How _dare_ you! She is so much more than just another member of Overwatch. She is _family_!" her voice caught in her throat. "She… she _was_ family. And you don't move on from people you love that much so easily."

"Angela…" Winston started carefully, "this isn't just about Ana, is it?"

The shock in the good doctor's eyes told everyone at the table the truth. No, it wasn't just about Ana. It was about losing not just her, but one of the only other people she had ever held dear to her heart. A silent mutter of "I can't do this anymore" along with the sound of a slamming door only verified what everyone knew already.

Angela spent that night in Genji's old room, curled up on his bed crying. She took the next couple of weeks off from work; her heart hurt, and it would take a while to patch it up this time.

She hadn't had time to work on her large project for a while. It was the same project she had started back when Genji was still there, the one that she kept secret from everyone. But now she had plenty of time; she began again with earnest, partially because there was nothing else for her to do, but mostly because of one reason: no one she loved would ever die in battle again, at least not on her watch.

* * *

December 17th, over two years since Ana died and five years since Genji left

* * *

The good doctor had been through her fair share of hardships. Everyone could agree that she had been through enough trouble already for most people's entire lifetimes. So she couldn't possibly understand why everything unfortunate happened to _her_.

Her heart had stopped when Athena called her. The same words flooded through her head on repeat as she scrambled to leave the house, playing like a broken record – Jack, Gabe, headquarters, explosion, sabotage, collapse.

It had only taken her a moment to put on her Valkyrie suit, but it took at least ten times as long to decide what she should take with her. Her staff was an obvious choice, but if Jack and Gabe were in a collapsed building and they really hadn't been found after this long, her staff might not be enough…

The door to her lab caught the corner of her eye. Inside lay the untested prototype of her grand project, the secret she had kept from everyone. She had vowed that she wouldn't lose someone else. Despite the potential risks of using something so unproven, she might have no choice.

She grabbed the small device, shoving it into a pocket in her suit before she raced off to her headquarters, dreading to see what had become of it.

When she arrived, it was worse than what she had anticipated. The entire massive building was reduced only to rubble and fire. Recovered bodies with life no longer left in them were piled around the scene, and hundreds of wounded were being treated by every medic that had been available. But they weren't what concerned Angela, as much as their image would haunt her for the rest of her life. No, what concerned Angela was that neither Jack nor Gabe had been found. And if they hadn't been found yet, they couldn't have much time left.

Her heart pounded as she made her way to the section of rocks that had once been the grand entryway to the headquarters. She desperately fought back tears as she began to dig through the rubble, searching for any signs of life. It was hard not to choke and cry when the two people who had been your fathers for years could now be laying lifeless in a pile of stone, but she did her best.

Angela yelled their names for what felt like hours on end, getting desperate as time went on. The loss of time meant the loss of them, and she couldn't lose them. Not when she had lost so much already in this collapse. Though the body count would be smaller because it was nighttime, it was still hundreds of patients, fellow doctors, fellow soldiers, and friends, not to mention hours upon hours of research in her desk. She just couldn't lose her two father figures as well. Fate couldn't possibly be that cruel.

She was on the verge of giving up hope when she finally saw a black combat boot sticking out from under a pile of rubble. More importantly, it was a Blackwatch boot, and there weren't very many Blackwatch agents stationed in Switzerland at this time of year. Her heart skipped a few beats as she flew as quickly as she could to the shoe, praying to every god she could think of that it was who she was looking for.

The rocks and metal scraped her already worn out hands as she dug furiously through the pile, grunting from exertion. Everything was heavy, and she really could have used some help, but she knew that she probably didn't have the time for such a luxury. If this was who she hoped it was, he would have been stuck down there for quite a while.

After what felt like a few millenia of lifting more rocks than she could count, though it was probably only a few minutes, Mercy felt a weight lift off her shoulders. There was Gabriel. Or, at least what was left of him. His head was cracked open, and his limbs were all still trapped under piles of rocks, so there was no telling what damage he had sustained to the rest of his body.

Despite her complete exhaustion after searching for her makeshift father for so long, adrenaline rushed through Angela's veins as she pulled Reyes's limp body out of the pile. He must have weighed twice what she did, but she managed anyways, barely even noticing the way her limbs screamed in protest. She just had to see what the damage was.

When Reyes was completely freed and Angela had a chance to appraise his limp form, there was no helping the sob that escaped her throat. He was totally, utterly dead. His eyes slightly open and glazed over, unable to see her as she cried over his lifeless body.

"Gabriel… No, this can't be happening. You can't leave me too." She whispered pitifully, sitting down next to her makeshift father and resting his head on her lap. "There is no way for me to get to Jack in time now. I've lost him for sure. I can't lose you too."

After a few moments of grief, Angela fished her experiment out from where she had stored it. This could end in a disaster, she knew. It hadn't been properly tested yet, never tested on humans, and the tests she had conducted only worked when the patient was recently deceased. There was no telling how long Gabe had been dead for. ' _What's the worst I can do,'_ she thought grimly to herself, _'kill him?'_ That thought elicited another loud sob from the poor doctor as she started the device that could potentially resurrect Gabriel Reyes from the dead.

She set the activated device on the man's chest and began to card her fingers through his rather short hair. "You can't leave me, Gabe. The world needs you. I need you. I need one of my parents to stay around. I've already lost my biological parents, Jack, and Ana. I can't lose you too. The three of you saved me from heaven only knows how much loneliness and pain. You're a hero, my hero, and heroes should never die."

A small whirring noise started in the device as it began working its magic. Yellow and blue light emitted from the small thing, wrapping around the man in her arms, turning him a bright gold. Angela closed her eyes and winced as a blindingly bright flash of light burst from the small thing before everything went completely dark. Angela immediately noticed that the weight in her arms was significantly less than it had been. When her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness of the night, panic swelled from within her. Reyes was disappearing. The atoms of his body were turning into a reddish-black smoke and disappearing into the night wind.

"Gabe? GABE!" She screamed as she knelt over his form, eyes wide with fear as his body, clothes and all, vanished into the night air. And that was it, he was gone. Instead of saving him, her resurrection technology had caused him to evaporate. There was nothing left of him.

She sat back with her legs under her, eyes still wide with terror. Fear only had a few more moments hold before despair crept in, seeping through her veins like a deadly drug. She had failed him. And not in the same way that she felt that she had failed Ana in not being there for her. She had been there for Reyes and still she failed him. There had been nothing for her to do to save him. The only thing she could have done was work harder on her resurrection technology instead of moping over the people she had already lost, whether to death or separation.

The good doctor let out a quiet, desperate cry as she collapsed into the place where Reyes's body had just been, crying over her broken heart. "I'm sorry, Gabe, Jack, Ana. I couldn't do it; I wasn't enough."

Another first responder was the one who finally found her, curled in a ball, shielding herself from the outside world with her arms and legs. They had immediately brought her to be checked on, though they found nothing but severely scraped arms and sore muscles, which her Valkyrie suit had already begun to repair. Nothing physical was wrong with her, which was the problem.

Because while scrapes and scratches can heal, you can't exactly mend a heart so simply, can you?

* * *

March 20th, three months after the explosion at the Swiss Headquarters

* * *

News was always slow to reach the monastery. That was something Genji had learned after five years. The omnic monks that went on errands only ever brought back extremely pertinent information, and even that happened only a few weeks after whatever event it was.

So when one of the younger, newer monks came sprinting back to the monastery at top speed, something he had never seen in his years of being there, Genji was more than intrigued. This omnic looked about as close as a machine could to being out of breath, but he immediately straightened up and ran over to Genji as soon as he caught sight of him.

The young omnic waved a DVD in front of the cyborg's face, a piece of tech that hadn't been used regularly in ages. "You have to see this," the robot said. Although there was no way to tell from his face what his emotions were, the omnic monk seemed distressed, which worried Genji even more.

He finished up his meditation session, much to the dismay of the young robot, before finding an old DVD player and setting the system up to play on a small television in his room. There was a few seconds of silence before the DVD began playing, lighting up the room with the soft glow of light. Genji couldn't see immediately what was so pressing about this disc. It just looked like a old, large courtroom.

The judge called the court into session, and his heart skipped a beat as soon as the case was announced. The words "explosion in Switzerland" set his mind abuzz. Angela couldn't possibly be… no, he didn't even want to think about it.

It took about ten minutes for the video to get to the important part, but Genji found what he was looking for as soon as the first witness was called up. Relief instantly swept over him, though it washed away as quickly as it came. There was Angela, looking as young physically as the day he left, meaning she was still alive, but she looked at least ten years older emotionally.

She was dressed in a simple black suit, formal and businesslike and completely unlike anything that Genji had ever seen her wear. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail as opposed to the million loose, messy ones he had seen her in. But as the camera zoomed in on her, all Genji could see was her eyes, partially hidden by glasses. They looked completely, utterly, helplessly dead. There was no emotion in them, none of the life that had once inhabited the blue orbs so peacefully. Under them were endless dark bags, the likes of which he had never seen on that beautiful face, no matter how many nights she had stayed up in a row. It made his heart clench painfully at how unhappy she seemed while still looking perfectly professional and formal to the untrained eye. That was part of what unsettled him; Angela didn't know formal existed, yet here she was, the dictionary definition of the word.

The doctor was sworn to answer truthfully before questions started rolling in. Angela's questioner paid no attention to her, just scribbling down the information she spewed. The television crackled as words and sounds came out of it for the first time in years.

" _So, what is your account of the explosion, Dr. Ziegler?"_

Angela let out a small, resigned sigh. It was the sound of a person who had given up. _"I was at home, getting ready to go to sleep, when I got the call that informed me of the explosion. It was hard to focus on much, so I don't remember what exactly was said to me. All that I remember hearing was that something had been sabotaged, and Reyes and Morrison were in the building when it happened. I rushed to the scene as quickly as I could and dug through the rubble myself to try to find at least one of the two of them. I ended up finding Reyes, already unable to be saved, though I tried everything I could."_ Genji was stunned at how emotionlessly she spoke of Reyes's death, not to mention the fact he was surprised that the aging soldier died. It was obvious that he and Angela had been rather close, even though Genji had only seen them around each other for a few months; was she just that hardened off to his death?

" _And why did you not recover his body?"_

" _I tried new tech on Reyes, stuff that had not had a thorough testing. He was already at death's door, and nothing else had worked, so there was no point in holding back on something that might save him. After using it, he appeared to get slightly better before his body disintegrated completely. I have a few hypotheses as to why it happened, but my current one is the chemicals that turned him into a super soldier had some sort of adverse reaction to the nanotechnology, and it tore his form apart. He was already dead when the disintegrating process happened, so he should have felt no pain from it."_

" _And what of Morrison?"_

" _I was unable to find him. It's our belief that he was probably crushed beyond recognition, and therefore he couldn't be found. Though you know that we didn't find him, so I'm not sure why you asked."_ She shot the inquisitor a scathing look, which he completely ignored. That hit Genji hard too; Morrison, dead? It almost seemed like an impossibility. Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes were formidably resilient soldiers, and about as integral to the Overwatch organization as oxygen. Not only that, but they were Angela's family; she would have tried absolutely everything to save them. What possibly could have killed them?

But even though Angela seemed completely clinical in the way she was addressing their deaths, his heart went out to her. He couldn't imagine how painful it must have been to lose them both. He had only lost one family in his lifetime; now Angela had lost two.

" _Just checking. Now, what is your theory on what happened? Or, rather, the official theory, seeing as you have been placed as head of Overwatch for the time being."_

" _First of all, I am not the head, I am simply helping lead it with Winston while we go through this troubling time. But that is beside the point. The current theory is that Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison were having an argument in the main entrance to the headquarters, an argument that someone behind the scenes either staged or egged on. The building was rigged with explosives, causing it to fall on top of their heads. Unfortunately, it seems as if this was an inside job."_

" _Who do you suspect is responsible for this?"_

" _It would be foolish of me to point fingers at any one person. All we know was that it had to be someone within Overwatch, or someone closely tied to Overwatch, and the explosives had to have been planted to day of the explosion. It's customary of us to do a sweep of the grounds every morning, since that is when most people show up."_

" _Alright, now I will need to ask you the locations of some of your agents on this day. Where were you the day this took place?"_

Angela rolled her eyes. _"If I remember correctly, I spent the entire day with you lot in a UN meeting, if you're attempting to accuse me of rigging the explosives."_

" _Jesse McCree?"_

" _Visiting his family in the United States."_

" _Lena Oxton?"_

" _With McCree."_

" _Winston?"_

" _In Gibraltar, handling another meeting of the UN's."_ At that moment the camera panned over to the large scientist who was sitting among the crowd, along with the rest of what he assumed was the current Overwatch leaders; they certainly looked strange enough to be members of the orginization. The monkey gave Angela an encouraging smile before the camera panned back over to her.

" _Fareeha Amari?"_ the names continued for a while, Angela looking absolutely bored the entire duration of it, though answering the man's questions politely enough. Genji almost zoned out until he heard something he certainly hadn't expected to.

 _"Genji Shimada?"_

At the sound of his name, the doctor's polite expression of patience turned into a grimace. It looked like someone had slapped her in the face _._ It was an expression that Genji never wanted to be associated with his name ever again, not by her. _"That's not information I am willing to give out."_

The questioner for once looked up from his notepad, looking mildly offended, though Genji himself was intrigued. She knew where he was? _"And why is that, Miss Ziegler?"_

Angela chewed at her lip before replying. _"Patient confidentiality. Genji was my patient before anything else, and he hasn't been a member of Overwatch for years now. He left of his own accord and gave us no ideas as to where he would be going. If he wanted us to know where he was in order to seek him out, he would have said something by now."_ A pang of hurt flashed across her face, quickly masked before anyone in the room seemed to notice. Guilt bubbled up in Genji's chest again; had he made her hate him? Was that why talking about him was painful to her? _"And besides that, I really do not know where he is. I have kept anyone from tracking him since only a few months after he left, and I only checked then for my own peace of mind, to ensure that he was safe. He could very well not be in the same place he was the last time we checked."_

" _So he just left, and you had no interest in keeping tabs on him?"_ The man questioning Angela stood in shocked disbelief. _"How could you let something so dangerous go out into the world with no supervision?"_

Angela flashed him a sweet smile, masking a look in her eyes that was pure venom. _"I believe you mean some_ _ **one**_ _. And it was none of our business where he chose to go. It was his life, and he was allowed to live it as he saw fit. He owes no one here anything."_ Any doubts about Angela hating him immediately washed away with those words; she was still just as fiercely protective of him as ever. It made him smile a little, despite his guilt.

" _Hm…"_ the man seemed deep in thought for a moment, tapping his pencil to his lip. _"Would he ever have a reason to return to Switzerland?"_

Angela's face fell slightly, her fake smiling dropping immediately. _"Excuse me?"_

" _Would Genji Shimada ever have a reason to come back to Switzerland?"_

The doctor stared at her lap for a few seconds, the professional demeanor she had held to herself so dearly completely gone. She seemed so small at that very moment, as if she was trying to make herself disappear into the back of the chair she was sitting in _. "No,"_ came the quiet reply after a long moment of silence. It felt like she didn't want to hear the words she was saying. Hell, Genji didn't want to hear the words she was saying. They sounded so incredibly hopeless it was heartbreaking. _"No, I do not believe that he would have any reason to come back."_

Genji stared at the television, shocked beyond belief. Did she really believe that? He whispered, "Angela… that's not true. You know that isn't true," as if the doctor could hear him from beyond the screen. As if his words would make a difference.

" _Really? Was there really nothing at all? No family, friends, or home to come back to? No one he cared about?"_

Angela was visibly shaking at this point. Even with her head lowered, Genji could clearly see the tears emerging from the corners of her eyes. _"If he did have someone, would he not have come back already?"_ There they were, the words that would absolutely destroy him. Genji stared at the screen, his heart hammering painfully in his chest as he looked upon the face of a girl who had lost so much, loss he had only added onto. Angela swiped at her eyes with the edge of her sleeve before continuing, her voice unsteady. _"I do not think there is anything in Switzerland that he would want to return to, no."_

" _Hm, none of you made any sort of impact on him? That's quite-"_

Suddenly, a loud voice erupted from the crowd of people. _"I believe that's enough."_ The camera panned over to Winston who had stood from his seat, glaring at the questioner who was beginning to protest.

" _But I have more that I need to-"_

" _I said that is ENOUGH."_ The Winston boomed, immediately shutting up the man and turning the entire room deadly quiet. _"Angela, come back here."_

Mercy nodded and obediently came down from the stand where she had been, sitting down next to Winston. The video cut out a few seconds later, but it lasted long enough to show Angela hugging the gorilla tightly, shoulders shaking as she cried.

Genji sat speechless as the television turned off with a loud click. Eventually he fell onto his back, glaring at his ceiling as if it was the cause of all of his problems. "I'm so sorry," he finally mumbled, looking back at the now black screen. "I don't know why I expected any different. I told you I'd come back someday and then disappeared for five years. You felt like I abandoned you because I practically did. I left you alone to end a war and watch as your family died for the second time in your life." He felt tears well up in the back of his eyes, the first time he had cried in years. He hadn't been sure if he was still able to cry, yet here he was. "Angela, I am so god damn sorry."

Zenyatta found his pupil later that evening after he had missed out on their evening meditation. He had still been lying on the floor, unable to function with the guilt coursing through him. His mentor had immediately understood that something was terribly wrong and encouraged Genji to get some rest so they could work through the issue tomorrow. Genji had nodded dumbly, agreeing just to get the omnic to leave.

Little did Zenyatta know, Genji wouldn't be around the next day for them to talk.


	8. Chapter 8

It wasn't easy, thinking of what to say to someone you hadn't seen in five years. Genji experienced that firsthand as he stood outside of what was once his old home, debating what exactly he should do.

First of all, he wasn't even sure that Angela still lived here. Yes, she always spouted on about how much she loved the building way back when, with its perfect small size and amazingly convenient lab/basement, but a lot can change in five years. Maybe his leaving had made the place full of bad memories for her – god, he hated that though.

And even more importantly, what was he supposed to say if she was still here? Sorry I left for five years with a single post-it note worth of explanation? You're the most wonderful person in the world and I hate myself for leaving? I know I needed to do this for myself but that doesn't stop me from feeling unbelievably guilty about it? Every option sounded stupid in his head, no matter how many times he mulled it over. There were so many unknowns, too many variables to account for. What if Angela didn't actually still care for him, and all he did was bring back bad feelings? What if his presence would only hurt her more after everything she had been through?

He didn't know. He _couldn't_ know. And that was what had him moving for the first time in what felt like hours. He couldn't know how Angela felt until he asked her, until he talked to her. Talking to her was the very least that he owed her.

With that in mind, his hand was on the doorknob. It hadn't occurred to him to knock, so he didn't. Back when the two of them had lived in this house together, he had never knocked, and old habits die hard – even old habits that have lain dormant for five years. Luckily, the door was unlocked anyways, and he stepped inside the small living room.

The first thing that he noticed was that the room still unmistakably spoke of Angela, which was a good sign that she still lived here. All of the décor was the same, minus a few details here and there that had changed. The photos on the wall were different and significantly more sparse; gone were the dozens of pictures of the crew at Overwatch that had once been plastered over the walls, most likely taken down due to grief, although the fireplace still held three framed pictures on its mantel that hadn't changed in five years. The largest one was of the entire gang of higher ups in Overwatch huddled together in a crowd, all laughing and cheering. The other two were pictures of her two families, the biological and the adopted. It warmed Genji's heart to realize that some things never change, no matter what happens.

The living room and kitchen were both hauntingly empty. Blankets were scattered on the floor of the living room and the kitchen had piles of dishes in the sink, which was completely unlike the doctor. She must not have been in the room for a while, because the mess would have killed the Angela he knew. That, or she had a change of heart about cleanliness while he was gone.

Genji poked his head into Angela's room. She wasn't there, either. Maybe she wasn't at home? He couldn't imagine her being at work so quickly after the trial he had seen only two days ago, but she was a workaholic. It wasn't unreasonable to think she might use helping others as a way to distract herself, though he doubted that was the case.

His theories were all shut down when he looked through the open doorway to his old room. There was Angela on his old bed, sitting and facing the wall across from the doorway. Her knees were tucked into her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them. Quiet sniffles, only just barely audible, came from the pitiful looking woman. What was almost more surprising was the state of the room that she was in. It was exactly the same as how he had left it five years ago, save for pictures of the two of them together sitting on various shelves. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, from the blades of the ceiling fan to the floor. It almost looked like grey snow had settled upon this room alone in the house. Genji stood frozen in the doorway for a few minutes, unsure of what to do or say. This was the last place he had expected her to be, especially in this state.

"If you're a Blackwatch asshole here to kill me, could you just do it already?" the girl on the other side of the room finally said, not even bothering to lift her head, though her voice was quivering. "I can't be bothered to fight back anymore; it's not like there is much to fight back for. You're going to kill me eventually anyways, so I might as well just get it over with." She tossed the pistol that he hadn't noticed was in her hand across the room so that it landed at his feet, clattering when the two pieces of metal collided. "Here, you can even stage it like I committed suicide. That'll be sure to get Overwatch shut down even _more_ quickly. Just think of the headlines: 'Corrupt Organization causes Doctor to take Own Life.' The media'll love it." There was absolutely no mistaking the bitterness in her voice, nor was there any denying the hopelessness. This was a lost woman with nothing left to hold onto, and for a split second Genji doubted whether or not it was actually a good idea to come back here.

But then he realized that thought was stupid, because he was being stupid. How could he think something like that? He sighed quietly and took a few steps forward towards the bed, all of the sentences that he had prepared flying out of his head. "I'm not here to hurt you, Dr. Ziegler."

Genji had never seen someone turn around so quickly, not even on the field of battle. Angela's eyes widened in shock as her shoulders shook with some emotion that he couldn't quite interpret. In fact, her emotions were so rapid and all over the place that he had no idea how to name them. They passed through her so quickly there was no way to tell which ones were important and which ones to ignore. Though he saw a common theme through all of them: disbelief.

Angela moved from where she was sitting, eyes still wide with shock, and stood directly in front of him. He squirmed under her unblinking gaze, not wanting to say anything for fear of scaring or hurting her. She seemed almost like a deer in the headlights, a fragile thing that could run away at any second given the opportunity.

After what felt like a millennium to the nervous cyborg, Angela's arm slowly lifted, her hand pausing as it almost reached the side of his face. She flinched, fear flashing in those round blue eyes. He immediately knew what that meant; she was scared that he wasn't real, that this was her imagination. And after everything that had happened, everything he had done to her, he couldn't blame her in the slightest.

This time the emotions that worked through her face passed by much more slowly. First was the fear before the most intense grief he had ever seen in his life. That one emotion encompassed all of the sadness, the loneliness, the heartache that she had felt over so long. It was a grief that ate away at him, that filled him with the guilt and shame that he deserved to feel after leaving her for so long. After that grief washed away came clear anxiety, but, after all of that, the most brilliant light of hope shown through those bright eyes. It was so absolutely gorgeous, that speck of light shining in a place that looked so lost and dead, that it took his breath away for a few seconds.

Then she finally touched the plating on the side of his head, and that hope spread into a smile, which quickly bubbled into laughter. Angela mirrored the position of the first hand with her second, pulling Genji's face towards hers and pressing their foreheads together, laughing uncontrollably and gleefully as she did. She looked so damn _happy_ like that, eyes squeezed together tightly and whole body shaking with giggles, like she had just heard the most amazing joke in her life. If that was an expression that Angela associated with him, Genji could die a happy man.

"It's really you," she managed to squeak out between fits of laughter. "I never… I never thought I'd see you again. It's actually you."

Genji had expected this scene to play out in a lot of different ways. In the short amount of time between now and a few days ago when he had decided to return to Switzerland, he had replayed scenarios like this time and time again in different settings with different words and reactions. He had anticipated nearly every reaction she could give, from anger to tears to happiness, and every response he could make to those emotions; he hadn't expected Angela to laugh, sure.

But he certainly hadn't expected to be the one who cried.

Nonetheless, here he was, tears rolling down his face uncontrollably as he looked into the face of the woman he loved so dearly and left so unceremoniously. He felt one of his hands cover hers, holding onto it tightly like it was the only thing keeping him standing. "I'm so sorry," he whimpered out, hating himself for being so weak as to cry in front of someone who had lost what he had twice over. "There aren't enough words to describe how guilty I feel. Angela, I'm so, so sorry."

Mercy got her laughter under control quickly as she realized he was crying, shaking her head slightly and looking at him with a ridiculously fond expression. It was an expression he had seen before, back when he as a child had gone out of his way to impress his brother with some technique he learned. It had taken him a while to realize what it meant back then; it was his brother's way of saying that there was no need to impress him, that he was already proud.

He felt his face mask come off with a soft click as Angela removed it and set it on the bed behind her. She took his actual face into her hands this time, wiping away his tears with the pads of her thumbs. "There is nothing you need to apologize for," she began in soft Japanese, the words crisp and clear and perfectly pronounced, a stark contrast to when they had first met. "It's alright. You kept your promise; you came back. That's all that matters to me, okay?"

"But I…" Genji was at a loss. Angela was too forgiving for her own good, and he at a loss as to how to tell her that; she was giving him forgiveness that he didn't deserve all too easily. "I left with almost no warning. And then all this crap happened to you and I wasn't there for you like I should have been, like you deserved. I saw the trial. I know what happened and I… I'm sorry I wasn't there."

Angela paused for a moment, reflecting on her own thoughts, before responding. "But you're here now, are you not? Isn't that what matters?" He blinked at the question, unsure of what to say. Surely that wasn't all there was to it? But one look into those bright blue eyes revealed nothing but honesty. "All that matters to me is that you came back for me. Lena gave up on me after seeing how I had reacted to my losses over the past few months. Winston couldn't handle my meltdown after the trial and dumped me off here to deal with everything myself. Jesse is pissed at me for outing Blackwatch, even though he was no longer a member of it. Fareeha is too buried in her own grief to help me through my own. Reinhardt is too busy saving the world to realize that his friend might need saving too."

"If you saw that trial, you saw me at one of my worst moments when I fell apart and admitted that I had given up on you. And you know what? You came back anyways and proved me wrong. You came for me when everyone who knows me and knows everything that has happened to me over these years couldn't handle it anymore. That means more to me than you could ever understand. And I don't expect you to believe that right away. But I do expect you to know that I mean it. Knowing something in your head and believing it in your heart are two very different things. I get that because I've lived that. However, I do expect you to know that I am not angry with you, and that I don't want you to be angry with yourself, even if you can't believe it yet. Okay?"

It sounded like a fair enough proposition. He nodded slightly. "Okay."

Angela smiled widely and patted his cheek. "Good. Now, I believe we have five years of catching up to do. But let's do it in the living room, shall we? It's terribly dusty in here."


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the massive delay in getting this chapter out D: Turns out I'm not actually dead, who would have guessed. I tried to make it pretty long to make up for it. I've been swamped with college applications and applying for scholarships.**

 **Also it's highly unedited, but at least it exists? Sorry? xD**

* * *

Stepping out of Genji's old room back into the living room felt almost like walking into another world. Nothing physical had changed about the place; everything was in the exact same disorganized spot that Angela had left it in. But it was shocking how utterly different it felt when she was no longer alone.

It was like she had traveled back in time to five years ago, when she had been the mentally strong one of the two. With that feeling, almost five years of stressed rolled off of her shoulders. Weight that the world had put on her and that she had put on herself disappeared in the blink of an eye. She wasn't fully better (because it would never be that simple), but the relief of knowing for a fact that someone was with her and there for her unconditionally did more for her than five years of strained friendships with other Overwatch agents ever had.

She sat down on the couch, marveling on his affect on her own personality and waiting for Genji to join her. Except a couple minutes passed, and Genji wasn't there. Panic creeped up on the doctor; what happened? He had to be here- she had touched his face herself. Unless she was completely and utterly insane, which was still a very real possibility. She jumped up off of the couch, ready to run back to his old room to check when the cyborg walked into the room, a cup of hot cocoa cradled in his hands.

"Angela? You okay?" Genji questioned, his eyebrow raising in curiosity. Even if he had still been wearing his face mask, she would have known exactly what his face was doing. His voice was still as expressive as it had been when they had first met. She knew every inflection of tone by heart, even now. "Sorry I took so long, you keep the packets in a different spot now, I had to find them again."

"I…" It wasn't often that Angela found herself completely lost for words, but now was certainly one of those times. How could she even begin to explain what was going on inside her head? Was she okay? There was plenty of panic even after she was now sure that Genji was real, and she couldn't help but worry that something might have changed in the past five years that had separated the two irreparably. But at the same time, there was something so unbelievably comforting and familiar about seeing him standing there holding a cup of hot chocolate just because he knew she probably needed it, and it made her heart melt. "I am now." She finally said with a smile as she sat back down, figuring that probably summed it up as well as could be. "Now come on; we have so much to talk about."

Genji, although clearly still worried about her and seemingly not quite satisfied with her answer, simply shrugged and made his way over to the couch, passing off the mug to Angela before sitting down himself. They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, Genji looking almost everywhere in the room except for at Angela while Angela sipped carefully at the boiling hot drink in her hands. The cyborg had always had a problem with silence, unless it was meditative silence, so it was no surprise that he was the one that eventually broke the awkwardness. "So what do you want to know?"

Angela looked at him over her cup, humming contentedly at she did. "Well, I'd really like to know all about where you ended up going, what it was like, and why you stayed. Did you stay in Nepal?"

"I did end up in Nepal. I wandered for the first few months, not sure exactly what I was looking for but knowing for sure that I hadn't found it. Eventually I heard of an omnic monastery in the mountains of Nepal, and I decided to pay a visit. They ended up growing on me, and one in particular, Tekhartha Zenyatta, encouraged me to stay. So I did, and he ended up teaching me how to cope with the way my body is now as well as my anger towards my brother."

Angela beamed at him. "That's great! So you really liked it there?"

"Of course. It was a beautiful place, surrounded completely by the mountains. It was so serene and easy to concentrate and meditate. I've never felt more at peace then when I was alone with my thoughts. What has happened to Overwatch while I was gone?"

Angela scowled. "At first, we were doing well. I made a lot of headway with a few projects, and we ended the omnic problems without much fanfare or trouble. But then everything went wrong when Jack was appointed as Strike Commander. Even though he tried to not let it show, Gabe really struggled with that decision. It turned some of the friendly bickering between those two into full blown arguments. It started to tear a whole in our family. But then…" Angela choked for a moment, unpleasant memories flooding back in waves, "then Ana died. And even though I felt so guilty and angry, I thought it might just fix their friendship. Gabe realized that he needed to be there for me and Fareeha, so he sucked it up. That worked for about a year until it got terrible. They wouldn't see or talk to each other. Then the fight happened, my headquarters exploded, and now Overwatch is gone, all activity strictly against the law. The UN is shutting us down especially because of Blackwatch, which was doing so many illegal things behind everyone's back for 'the greater good.' I released the records of their crimes to the public, which is why Blackwatch agents have been after me. All in all, we were an organization that had massive goals and glorious aspirations that fell short. We aimed too high and landed on our faces when we didn't reach our destination. The worst part is, I saw it coming from the very beginning, knew that joining was a terrible idea, and I did it anyways."

Angela was keen to change the subject, so that was what she did. "Did you find what you were looking for? Were you happy?"

"I found much more than that. I am a new man now; I am whole. I've accepted who I am and the fact that I cannot change it, and I've learned to live with the person that I am. I've accepted my choices and my past and I have moved beyond them. It's freeing."

Silence settled over the two for a few moments. Genji waited for Angela to respond, but she seemed to be thinking carefully about something. "Then why did you come back?" She peered at him over her near empty cup of cocoa, blue eyes wide and curious. "If you were doing so well there, why come back to Switzerland? People won't be nearly as accepting of you here as I'm sure they were there."

He blinked at the unexpected question. "I may have learned to be at peace with myself in Nepal, but that does not mean I had no regrets. I saw a broadcast of Overwatch's trial and I was reminded of that. You needed me, so I came."

Guilt passed over Angela's face, and she stared at the floor, mumbling "Your happiness is more important than me" quietly.

Genji chuckled and shook his head. "Why do you assume that I would not be just as happy here?" When she remained unconvinced, he continued. "Angela, it is very true my soul is in Nepal. That can't be overstated; it was where I found myself and my peace." He gently pulled the cup out of her hands and set it on the coffee table, taking her hands into his own. "But my heart is here in Switzerland with my friends, with Overwatch, and with _you_. I was a fool to so easily forget that. You kept my heart beating when nothing else could the day you found me; it only makes sense that it now belongs with you."

Understandably, Angela was stunned at his complete honesty. She felt tears well up in the corners of her eyes, but unlike every time she had cried since the trial, these were tears of joy. Her arms wrapped around Genji's neck, hugging him tightly as she buried her face into the plating on his neck. For the second time in one day, she had no idea what to say to express how she felt; in the end she settled on repeating "Thank you" over and over again.

After a few seconds of initial shock, Genji returned the hug, closing his eyes and resting his chin on Angela's back. God, he had missed this so much that it hurt. He had been blatantly lying when he admitted who held his heart; his friends and Overwatch couldn't claim an ounce. It was completely and utterly Angela's whether she wanted it or not, and he found that he didn't mind either way.

Neither of them kept track of how long they sat there like that. It was a comfortable silence this time, one that Genji had no intentions to break. It was only after he noticed Angela's breathing and heart rate slowing that he disturbed the peace. "Angela? Did you fall asleep on me?"

No response. He grinned, removing himself from the hug to look at the woman leaning on him. Her arms had loosened in their death grip, now only loosely hanging around his neck, and the side of her head was pressed against his shoulder. A dreamy smile adorned her face, blue eyes now closed off to the world.

"What am I going to do with you?" Genji whispered fondly as he stood, scooping the sleeping doctor into his arms. Again, it was a small reminder that some things never changed; Angela would always be sleep deprived, for that was simply her state of being. Trying not to wake her up when she so clearly need rest, Genji padded back into her room as quietly as he could and gently placed her back on the bed.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if he failed. Angela stirred from her sleep, lifting her head to reveal groggy eyes. Genji shot her an apologetic smile before turning around to leave. He was planning on watching the front door all night, as he didn't want any Blackwatch agents to break in during the night. He would never be able to forgive himself if Angela died. He was closing the door when he heard a quiet voice from behind him.

"Please don't leave."

He quickly turned around to find Angela sitting up on her bed, still obviously half asleep. One hand was clutching a blanket to her chest as the other reached out in his direction, as if she was trying to grab ahold of him from across the room. Her face was scrunched up in a confused pout, like she couldn't quite figure out why she was asking his of him, but she also couldn't understand why he was leaving in the first place.

It only took a moment of internal debate before Genji caved and made his way back over towards the bed. If she really needed him to be there for her this badly, he'd happily oblige.

He ended up sitting at the head of Angela's bed as the woman curled back into her blankets, this time with a dreamy smile on her face. It only took her about a second to fall back asleep, convincing evidence that she had only been half awake in the first place. He smiled to himself and stayed there dutifully, warding off nightmares when they came.

And goodness, did they come. It felt like almost every thirty minutes he'd hear a whimper or cry from the girl sleeping next to him. He'd look down at her, only to see her crying quietly or trembling uncontrollably. All he could do without waking her up was run his fingers through her hair and whisper words of comfort in German until she calmed down. He had known Angela for years, and she had never been a person that would have nightmares. It made him feel more than a little guilty, an emotion he had experienced quite a lot over the past couple of days. He had gone to Nepal to find peace for himself, but in doing so had he taken hers away from her?

As he sat there comforting the woman he loved dearly, he determined that he would do everything he could to give her that peace back. It didn't matter if that meant staying with her every night to chase away the nightmares; he'd willingly do it to give her back what he had unrightfully taken.

* * *

Angela woke up that morning feeling more rested than she had in the months since the destruction of the Swiss base. She was certainly less tired than she had been in the few days since the trial. It only took the opening of her eyes to realize why. Genji was sitting on the floor next to her bed, watching the door like a guard dog. His back was pressed against the side of her bed and his knees were locked in place in front of his chest. One of his arms was propped on the floor behind him while the other rested across the top of his knees. It looked like a comfortable position, but one that he could easily stand up in.

She was about to say something when he beat her to it. "You were having really bad nightmares," he stated, turning around to face her. It surprised her that his face mask was still off; when she had known him years ago, he always felt more comfortable with it on, even around her. The worry on his face was evident. "Is that something that happens often?"

There was no point in lying to him, really. "I suppose it does. But I slept pretty well last night, all things considered." She sat up and dangled her feet over the edge of the bed next to his head, yawning and stretching as she did so in a cat-like manner. She was sore all over, though that was only natural. It had been a while since she had worn her Valkyrie suit.

Genji allowed her to finish before speaking again, though only barely. That man hated silence more than anyone else she knew. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She smiled shrewdly. "That depends, would you like to be here for a while?"

"I wouldn't mind."

"Well then," she patted the spot on the bed next to her, "get ready for an epic tale of the end of days, my friend."

She took a few long, slow breaths before recounting what happened the night of the explosion to her friend. She hadn't told the full story to anyone else for fear of judgement or even prosecution, but if she couldn't trust Genji, she couldn't trust anyone. "Do you remember years ago, when I was working on this massive project that I said would change the world?"

Genji nodded quickly. "Of course. You refused to tell anyone what it was because it was so important."

A light smile crossed Angela's face. "I remember that, and I'm glad that is what I chose to do, considering what could have happened to me had I mentioned it to anyone. What I was working on was a massive burst of nanobiology that could bring a recently deceased person back to life." She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, waiting for an angry response from the person next to her. All she got was a surprised gasp, much better than expected. She had fully anticipated something much worse. "I know. I was playing god, and I shouldn't have done it. But I did, and it's my labor of love now.

For a while I didn't make much progress, mostly due to a lack of time to work on it. I made a few half-successful attempts on rats a few years in, but nothing more. When…" her voice broke for a moment. This sentence never came easy, no matter how many times she said it, "when Ana passed, I hated myself for not working on it more. If I had completed it and been able to distribute it before her death, that technology could have given her a second chance at life. From that point on, I put every second of time I had into research and work. Within a year I reached the point where I could make recently deceased lab rats take a few extra breaths before dying once again. Within another few months they came back to life and stayed alive; it only worked within the first few minutes after death, but it was enough. They had no negative defects from the operation. They lived normal lives until dying of natural causes.

That was where I was in my research when the explosion happened. I had never tested it on a human before, but the time in which I had to use it on the rats after death had increased significantly. When I heard the news, I feared the worst. After what had happened to Ana, I couldn't let it happen to my other two parents. So I cast aside my better judgement and brought the resurrection device."

She choked at this point, holding back tears. The wound of her loss was still so sore and raw that just thinking about it stung like hell. Genji simply wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards his shoulder, letting her rest her head there until she was read to continue.

"I have no idea how long Gabe had been dead when I found him, but he was dead. I held his dead body in my arms and I felt a part of me dying with him. So I used it. I used the device, and his body seemed to hold onto it for a moment. But then it dissolved. _He_ dissolved. In all my testing I had never seen anything like it. The smoke was red and black and so, so thick.

I think I used it on him when he was too far gone. Normally the solution wouldn't attach to a body whenever it was too late to save them. I have a theory that the super soldier solution in his blood latched onto the resurrection formula and tried to revive him, but it ended up tearing him apart.

And now the nightmares won't stop. They were bad since Ana died, but now I see all three of them. I see Ana dying because I was too depressed by who…" she paused for a second before realizing the sentence was already too far gone for her to take it back, "I was too depressed by who I had already lost to work on what I needed too. I see Jack, dying alone in the rubble while I cried over Gabe's dead body. He might have been able to be found and saved. I don't know, since I stopped looking. And I see the last thing I had of my parents dissolving in my arms because I failed him. I failed all three of them, and it haunts me."

Genji digested the information that she had given to him for a minute before saying anything. Angela hardly blamed him; it was a lot to take in. Finally he let out a long sigh before tugging on her shoulder and pulling her into a hug.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." He mumbled, voice raw with regret. "I should have been there for you, and I deeply regret that. But I'm going to help you through this now, okay? I can't sit here and lie to you, tell you that you didn't make some mistakes. However, I think you'll find that we can recognize our mistakes and be at peace with them; that's what I've had to learn how to do. But even then, you are more than a few mistakes, and no one that cares about you expects you to be perfect. I'm sure Ana, Gabe, and Jack would hate seeing you like this. They don't want this for you, no one does. So don't beat yourself up too much over it, okay?"

"I know they don't want this for me. But knowing something and believing something are two terribly different things." She buried her face in the plating on Genji's neck, concentrating on slowing down her breathing and heartrate. This, being full of anxiety and worry, was not a healthy way to live, but she didn't know how to fix it. Maybe time would heal her, but who really knew?

When she seemed to have calmed down considerably, the two pulled out of the hug. Genji ruffled her already very messy hair and stood up from the bed. "Now, this might sound weird, but I actually learned how to cook well in Nepal. How about I make you something?"

Angela smiled lightly. "I could really use some food right now. Let's go."

* * *

Genji had easily fallen into a routine with Angela after returning to Switzerland. The first few weeks were slightly awkward, both of them trying to figure out just how open the other was to companionship. But once they both came to the conclusion that while everything around them had changed, their relationship with each other had not, they quickly fell into normal patterns once again.

The main difference now from when they had known each other at first was that Genji had insisted he find his own place to live in instead of rooming with Angela. Not only had he developed a new, healthy respect for other people's boundaries, he also had full knowledge of exactly how he felt about the blonde doctor. He thought it best not to be roommates with the woman he cared for so dearly.

That wasn't to say that they didn't spend a lot of time together, because they certainly did. Genji was hesitant to leave Angela at almost any time, simply because of how vulnerable she was at the moment. After he found out that she took time off from medical field work to do her own independent research, which meant she was at her house almost all the time, he found an excuse to be at her home almost constantly.

It wasn't often that Angela asked for privacy, mostly because she enjoyed the company, but a few times she did. About a month after he returned was the first time she actually demanded it.

"Genji, I need to run some tests on myself this evening. Just some simple health stuff, nothing too big. But I need you to leave, okay?" She didn't seem particularly upset with him. On the contrary, she was smiling quite pleasantly.

"Alright. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

The doctor laughed sweetly. "I can handle myself for a while, yes. Why don't you come check up on me in a few hours? Then you won't have to worry."

He smiled back at her. "I can certainly do that. See you in a bit."

She waved and walked him out the door, closing it with a soft click behind him. As soon as that door closed, something in the pit of his stomach murmured unpleasantly. He had been away from Angela plenty, sure, but there had always been the option to go back. All he had to do was knock and he'd be right back inside of her home most of the time. But now he didn't have that option, and he wasn't sure that he liked it.

The few hours he promised the doctor crawled by at a disgustingly slow pace, and the unpleasant feeling he had grew as time went by. When the time was finally up, he had to restrain himself from breaking down the door. Something was wrong; something deep down inside of him was screaming at him that something was very, very wrong.

It didn't take him long to find Angela, though she wasn't in the state he had expected her to be in. He turned the corner into the kitchen to find her sitting in the middle of the room, laughing hysterically with her head held in her hands. The action was so unlike Angela that he had to look twice to confirm that it was actually her. But then he noticed the large, empty glass bottle next to her, and things suddenly made a little bit more sense, even if that raised more questions in his head. Since when did Angela drink, and where had she even gotten that bottle? He had been in the kitchen a million times and not seen a drop of alcohol in it.

"Angela?" He questioned carefully, kneeling next to the woman and placing his hand on her shoulder. "Is everything okay?

She looked up at him, eyes bloodshot and tired, and just giggled uncontrollably. "No, not really," She took a pause from speaking to take a few gasping breaths, "but when is it ever?"

Genji glance warily at the bottle of alcohol. "I thought you hated drinking."

"Oh, I do." Angela said as soberly as she could manage, nodding her head in an exaggerated manner. "But guess what? It doesn't matter, Genji. None of it fucking matters anymore."

It was particularly unlike Angela to curse like that. The poor cyborg was utterly bewildered by the creature that he was convinced had possessed Angela Ziegler. "What are you talking about?"

She grabbed the sides of his faceplate, pressing her forehead against his, still giggling slightly as she spoke. "Genji, I ran tests on my body, just to see what symptoms my recent depression might have on me. Plus I haven't been in for a check-up in years, so it was about time. But guess what I found? Genji, have you noticed that I look the exact same as I did the day you left? Do you want to know why? It's because I've stopped aging. The exposure from my Valkyrie suit to constant healing nanobiology has completely replaced my normal cells with nanobiotic ones that won't die from disease or age. I'll never die. So why not drink? It'll wear off in only a few minutes; it's been happening all night. I already feel it wearing off now. Give me fifteen minutes and I'll be completely sober, I guarantee it."

Genji blinked in shock at the doctor. "I, uh, that's a lot to take in. You're going to have to give me a minute to process this," he stated dumbly, not sure what to say, "but I'm still not sure why you're drinking, is it just to prove a point?"

"Because I'm a happy drunk. And I've already cried enough tonight." Angela leaned back against the cabinet she had been sitting next to and stared at the ceiling, eyes dull with pain. The alcohol was definitely wearing off- she was right. "Don't you get it, Genji? Don't you understand what living forever means? Living forever means that in all likelihood I'll have to bury everyone I hold dear to me. Have you ever heard someone say that one of the worst things a person can experience is burying their own child? That's one thing that I can't do now, having or adopting kids, because I would live to see them die, and how could I inflict that kind of pain on myself? I'll live to see everyone die; Reinhardt, Torbjorn, Fareeha, Lena, Winston, all of them." Angela looked back at Genji with the saddest smile, tears finally flowing from the corners of her eyes. "You." She buried her eyes in the sleeves of her hoodie, no longer holding back her grief. "I'm going to be alone. Unless I die some terrible, gruesome death, I'll be alone in about seventy years. You'll all be gone, and I'll still be here looking like I'm twenty-five. And how do I hide it from the UN? People can only accredit so much to good genes, and I can't let a secret like this out; people will want to know how I did it, and what if that knowledge falls into the wrong hands? What do I _do_?"

Angela looked up at her cyborg companion from where her head was buried. She knew the look on her face clearly displayed her vulnerability and desperation, but she didn't care. More than anything she needed someone to help her figure this out, to tell her that maybe not everything would be as bad as she thought it would be.

The second she looked at Genji, he wrapped her in a tight hug. She honestly shouldn't have been so surprised at this point – it was his default reaction to her whenever she was upset about something. But she was so used to distancing herself from others over the past five years that it shocked her all the same. It also comforted her more than it should have. She gladly hugged him tightly back and didn't complain when he held her almost bone-crushingly tight. She wouldn't have been surprised if he never let go.

"Angela," Genji started carefully, as if he were afraid of her reaction, "is there any way that I wouldn't have to leave you?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, is there a way to do whatever is happening to you to me? That way you won't have to lose me."

"Surely you don't actually want that?" Angela paled at the thought of doing this to Genji; how could she possibly put him through the same thing that she was now destined to live through?

Genji chuckled lightly and tightened his grip on her ever so slightly. "Isn't that for me to decide, Dr. Ziegler? Only I can say what I do and do not want. All I asked was if it was possible."

"I… I don't know," she responded honestly. She really didn't know whether it could be done. The whole reason she was this way was because all of her normal cells were now nanobiotic ones, but Genji was half robot. Would it work the same way?

"That's alright," Genji replied sweetly, now carding his fingers through Angela's hair to try to soothe the doctor. "But if – when – you figure it out, know that this is what I want. You gave me a second chance at life, Angela, and I've hardly forgotten that. After everything you have been through on my account, this is the least I could do for you. And I mean it when I say that it's the very least."

Angela let out a small sigh and buried her face into the plating on Genji's neck. "Thank you," she finally mumbled, closing her eyes in an attempt to focus her thoughts. Her head was slowly clearing of the buzz of alcohol, and even though she was starting to recover, she still had a massive hangover to get over. That would probably take an hour or so. Thus, she tried to focus her thoughts on anything that would take her mind off of the pain. As a field doctor she had taught plenty of techniques for forgetting about pain to others; it was a simple matter to apply them to herself.

The easiest way to ignore pain was to concentrate on another, stronger physical sensation. With that in mind, she pressed further into Genji's metal body and focused on how cold it was. It was made out of an alloy that was purposefully a poor conductor of temperature so it wouldn't be affected too heavily by where he was. But metal was still metal, and she had always been fond of keeping her house cold, so his body had absorbed the chill in the air. She shivered as her own body heat slowly drained until she had accidentally warmed him up, thus losing her distraction.

After physical distraction no longer worked, she always told her patients to focus on some sort of mental distraction. It helped if the thoughts were soothing, peaceful ones. Especially in regards to a headache, which was what was currently pounding through her skull. It only took a moment for Angela, now growing drowsy from the crying and emotional stress, to latch onto happy thoughts. After all, they hadn't happened all too long ago. She smiled softly as ghosts of moments from the past month floated around in her head. Outings to favorite restaurants, late nights binges of crappy old movies and so, so much hot chocolate, all with her cyborg companion. If she had been in the state to consider things on any deep sort of level, she probably would have realized how spoiled she had been recently, and she probably would have wondered how much guilt Genji held for leaving her and how much of it was manifesting in his spending time with her. She also probably would have noticed how Genji didn't seem to mind that she had latched onto him and not said a word in fifteen minutes.

But, of course, Angela didn't have time to think about any of that. She was unbelievably drowsy, irrationally comfortable, and warm with happy thoughts that drowned out her own worries for the time being. Not only that, but the nanobiotic chemicals had already worked their magic in her head; her headache was nearly completely gone, and had she been awake she would likely have been completely sober. However, she was as far from awake as it comes without actually being asleep. She muttered another simple "Thank you" to her friend before falling asleep on him, her breathing turning heavier and steadier.

As soon as he was sure that Angela was asleep, Genji scooped her up, careful not to move her much, and made his way to her bedroom, where he set the sleeping woman down. He made sure she was properly bundled up in blankets before making his way out of the room, catching one last glance at Angela before he left.

At surface level, she seemed so peaceful. Her smile was small and quiet but very much there; it pulled her whole face into an expression of relaxation. But he couldn't help but scowl as he noticed the bags under her eyes; while they weren't dark or prominent, they were certainly still there. If he looked even more closely, he could see the tear stains on her cheeks from the time she had spent crying.

He sighed as he exited the room and closed the door softly behind himself. Angela didn't deserve this. She deserved to live a life of happiness after everything that she had done for others; the last thing she needed was to have things like this happen to her. It simply wasn't fair, and the unfairness of it all made his blood boil. The longer he thought about it, the angrier he became until he was practically snarling at his own thoughts. What made him finally stop was when he felt energy course through him, threatening to break like a dam under pressure. That was a power that he had left dormant within himself for a long, long time, and there would only be trouble if he provoked it now. He pouted as he calmed down, flopping ungracefully onto the couch. The least he could do was stay up all night in case Angela needed anything.

So there he stayed, guarding the door to Angela's bedroom like a watchdog until morning dawned upon them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you all for the wonderful feedback, by the way. It's so encouraging to know you guys enjoy the story and my characterization of these two cuties. Mercy is actually very hard to write correctly. I don't want her to be a damsel in distress that Genji "saves" but I also want to show how much trauma the stuff she has been through would cause a person (she's been through more than Genji has, in my opinion). It's a very fine line that I've tried to balance by making her slightly independent and sassy, but it's just not easy.**

 **Oh and fyi, the third and fifth sections of this chapter (kinda?) talk about self-harm, though it's not in a traditional way at all. Like it's hardly even the same thing; I hesitate to even call it that (you'll see lol). But if that still bothers you, don't read those parts, kay? It's not totally essential to understand what'll be going on.**

 **Also, enjoy 9k words as retribution for how often this crappy thing isn't updated. This thing is like 14 pages in Word. Love you guys ;D**

* * *

Angela groaned and covered her head with her comforter as light streamed through her window. For some unknown reason, her blinds were open, allowing a very bright sun to make its presence known. She groaned and buried her head further under the covers, blinking rapidly as she slowly woke up and proceeded to adjust her eyes to the amount of light that bled through the blankets over her.

It took a few moments for her to remember what had happened last night. Even then, the events after she had started to drink were fuzzy at best. Even a mind as brilliant as hers could only hold so much information under the influence of that much alcohol. Memories seemed to come in random, unorganized bursts, likely the moments when her cells had flushed out most of the alcohol in her system before she drank more. She remembered most of what had happened towards the end of the night with Genji simply because she ran out of liquor prior to when he arrived, but the hours before that were a jumbled mess of tears and pain. Luckily, she _really_ couldn't remember much of anything about that part. That had been the point of drinking, after all.

It was also quite lucky that she hadn't been wrong when she guessed that her headache would go away. None of the pain that was left was physical, and her brain was still too bogged down with sleep to focus on any mental pain that might be lurking in the dark corners of her mind.

After she had woken up a bit and sorted through a few jumbled thoughts, Angela slowly pulled the covers off from over her head. Only one round of quick blinking was required to get her used to the light levels that surrounded her. And with that, she was up out of bed and ready to face the day. Or she was at the very least ready to face breakfast.

Genji jumped out from his place on the couch when he heard Angela's door creak open. He was immensely concerned about her, and with good reason, but the doctor was simply too tired to figure that out immediately. She yawned loudly and rubbed her eyes, tilting her head in confusion when she saw the worried look on his face. Genji took the hint and suppressed his concerned expression, giving her his best attempt at a peaceful smile.

"How are you feeling?" He asked carefully as Angela ambled in his direction. He didn't want to accidentally say something that would strike a raw nerve or hurt her in some way.

Angela paused in her walking and looked at the ground with a contemplative expression. "I… I don't know." She looked back up at her friend, confused and clearly still very drowsy. "Am I supposed to know?"

Genji smiled, this time for real. Even when she was in this much distress, she still found a way to be endearing, which probably should have concerned him more than it did. "No, I don't think you have to know." He sat back down on the couch and patted the seat, indicating that she should join him. Angela gladly flopped down next to him, almost immediately leaning against the cyborg's side and resting her head on his shoulder. Genji ran a comforting hand through her now very messy hair, happy to sit in companionable silence if that was what she needed.

After about five minutes of quiet, Angela finally said something. "What should I do?"

It was pretty vague question, but that was Angela's intent. She wasn't specifically referring to what she should do concerning just her immortality. She simply didn't know what to do in general. Should she try to discover a way to make Genji immortal too, like he asked? Should she continue on living like this, secluded from and deliberately ignoring the outside world aside from Genji? Should she go back to her job? She simply didn't know. And expecting Genji to have answers for her was silly and selfish, but she just wanted to believe that _someone_ knew, even if it wasn't her.

Her companion hummed quietly for a few seconds, considering carefully what to say. "I think that you should do whatever will bring you the most happiness. No matter how selfish it is. Someone gave me similar advice years ago, and I started on my journey to find inner peace as a result. I don't see why the same couldn't be said of you."

' _What would make me happy, huh?'_ But did she even know what would make her happy? She wasn't too sure that she did. Angela sighed and rubbed her temples, squeezing her eyelids tightly together as she did so. "I wish it was just that easy. I really do."

"Maybe it is that easy." Genji replied quietly, ruffling her hair a little bit. "You're a brilliant woman, Angela. I have no doubt that you will figure it out. I wish I could give you all of the answers, but I'm afraid that I don't have them, and there is no way for me to find them for you, though I'll help as much as I can. But in the end, you have to find them on your own."

Angela let her hands fall back into her lap as she opened her eyes, staring absentmindedly at the place where their legs were pressed together. So what was it that would make her happy? And would she be willing to do it if it meant hurting someone she cared about? Truly, she didn't know. However, what she _did_ know was that her headache was coming back, and it was very unwelcome. The conversation ended there with an unsatisfied and grumpy Angela getting food, but the thoughts never stopped pounding in her skull.

* * *

It was only a few weeks later when Angela decided to work on figuring out how she might make Genji's body survive in the same state that hers did. She withheld that information from Genji, though. Her solace in her experimenting was that, if she found something and decided that she didn't want to put him through the hell she would one day experience, he would never have to know what she had discovered. It was the only thing that kept guilt from tearing her apart, the idea that it wasn't certain that Genji would become immortal like her even if she did find what she was searching for.

Angela had decided to forgo a regular job as a surgeon entirely in favor of her own research. She certainly had enough money saved from the years of Overwatch work to last her an entire lifetime, and going back to being a regular doctor would only pile on more stress, which was certainly something she didn't need. No, it was much better to be able to research and look into anything that struck her fancy. Occasionally she spent time theorizing about the immortality issue, and even less frequently she tinkered with her resurrection technology, but most of the time she simply worked on improving nanobiology and field medicine as a whole.

Genji encouraged her the entire way, no matter what she chose to do. They often didn't talk much about her research, since he knew how much she liked to keep those things private, but whenever she brought something up to him he was always all ears. He wholeheartedly approved of her decision to do research independently. He claimed it would be the best way for her to get a break from the stress of real work and get settled into a normal life. And while he would never admit it to her, he liked the idea simply because it would allow for the two of them to spend more time together.

And thus, they slipped into a routine once again. There were odd days, and occasionally Angela would bunker in her basement for almost an entire week to research something, which meant that they wouldn't see each other nearly at all, but most of the time it was just the opposite. Genji probably spent more time at her house than he did at his own. Forget probably, he _did_ spend more time at Angela's house than at his own apartment, much more, in fact.

However, there was one thing that the doctor had never asked to be a part of that essential to Genji's life, so one day he figured he might as well extend an offer to her, considering that they did almost everything else together. "Angela, would you like to join me while I meditate?"

The moment he brought it up, the doctor began staring at him as if he said something utterly bizarre before finally chuckling lightly. "I'm not so sure I'm the meditating type, Genji. My head runs at a mile a minute; I'd have such a hard time dropping every theory and idea that runs through it for something like that."

Genji hadn't expected her to accept in the first place, so he wasn't bothered when she said no. "Well, the offer will always stand if you ever wish to join me."

It came as a surprise to both of them the day Genji heard a knock on his apartment door during the hours he normally meditated. And while Genji was surprised, Angela was probably even more so. When Genji answered the door, she stood in the doorway looking lost and confused, like she wasn't sure if coming was a good choice. But Genji had just smiled and welcomed her into his home. They both knew why she was there, so he took no time to begin explaining the basics of meditating to her, focusing on the portion that required emptying the mind of extra thoughts.

While Angela had never been one to be bored or uncomfortable in long silences, that was because she always had thoughts running through her head to keep her busy. Her brain was like a piece of fine-tuned machinery that never _quite_ turned off. She had demonstrated time and time again her ability to keep multiple concurrent ideas or conversations straight in her head. However, while this was all quite brilliant, it didn't lend itself well to meditation. Occasionally Genji would open one eye to see her fidgeting, playing with a strand of her hair, or fiddling with a loose string at the end of her hoodie.

For the rest of that day Angela seemed awkward and uncomfortable around him. She had tried to do something to connect with him in a meaningful way and fallen short. After all, he was always helping her through her issues; she had thought that maybe it would be nice to see how he dealt with things for a change. But she had failed, and Angela had never been someone to deal with her own failure easily. Genji just assumed that she would never try again.

He was once again surprised, although pleasantly so, when he heard a knock at his door a few days later. Sure enough, Angela was back, this time fierce determination written all over her face. It was clear that she wasn't going to give up that easily, and Genji loved it. She got better, as time went on. It was very hard for her to keep her mind clear for the entire time, and as hard as she tried to focus for the entire time for the first few days, they both realized early on that getting her to meditate for as long as Genji did was probably a lost cause. Most of the time she would quietly leave halfway through his sessions whenever she understood that there was no real point in staying anymore. And once she began to do that, she found that meditating was actually quite enjoyable. It helped clear her head of any nasty thoughts and prepare her for the day ahead.

Thus the days stretched by with a much more cheerful Angela. She was more engrossed in her work and less worried about the future, and Genji couldn't have been happier for her. It allowed the two of them to have deeper discussions about topics that would have previously made one of the two of them break down. And while it didn't happen often, today was one of the days that Angela got in the mood to get into a super deep discussion.

The two of them were in Angela's living room. Genji was sitting at the edge of the sofa with a book in hand, one that Angela had insist that he read. She had even dug up copies in Japanese for him and insisted that he read them as a birthday present for her. It was a series of books about a kid named Harry Potter, and apparently the books were Angela's favorite series despite how old they were, their author recently deceased. She was fond of the child named Hermione, and Genji could immediately see why. The doctor and the kid were very similar when it came to their intellect, and on top of that, Hermione was a witch, which Angela seemed to think was the coolest thing ever. He had started reading the books just to humor her, but he found that he actually really liked them.

While Genji read, Angela was laying down on the couch, her head on a pillow on Genji's lap. She was typing furiously on the computer sitting in her lap, but it was clear she was only half focused on what she was doing. She was thinking about something, and it didn't take long for her to mention what.

The doctor sighed and closed her laptop, looking up at the cyborg's face with curious and slightly sad blue eyes. "Genji, are you happy the way that you are now?"

He looked down at her and smiled. "What do you mean? Of course I'm happy; I'm here with you, and everything is pretty much back to normal. Why wouldn't I be?"

Angela sighed and shook her head, frustrated. "Ah, that wasn't what I meant. Are you happy with your body? Do you ever wish that you were still human?"

"Oh." Genji blinked at the question. He had expected this to be a much more light-hearted conversation than it was turning out to be. "I'm at peace with who I am. You know that."

She scoffed playfully, seemingly trying to keep the conversation from getting too serious. They both knew that it wasn't working. "You're avoiding my question. Are you happy with what I did to you?"

The cyborg sighed. "Angela, _'What I did to you?'_ You make it sound like you mutilated me in some awful way. I'm happy that I'm still living. I'm happy that you saved me. I'm happy that I got the chance to get to know you. Does that mean that I don't miss being completely human? Of course not. I'd be a fool not to miss it. I miss what it's like to taste, to touch, to do so many things that I took for granted in my youth. I took so many things – so many _people_ for granted back then. But if I had the option to go back and redo it all, I would make the same choices that led me here, because I wouldn't trade a human body for the time I got to spend with you and the rest of Overwatch. I wouldn't trade those moments for the world. You know that."

Angela looked back at her hands, still resting on the lid of the closed laptop, before closing her eyes and sighing. A small, somewhat sad smile adorned her face. "I just… sometimes I wonder if there was more I could do. If maybe I could have done better. If _I_ had the option to go back, I think I would at least try more."

Genji closed his book and set it on the side table, running his fingers through her hair. "You did the absolute best that you could. I think you're remembering what happened incorrectly. You tried so hard to give me a normal life, and this was the best thing that you could do. I thought you were proud of what you did? Because you should be."

Angela sighed again. "I know, I know. I was just thinking, that's all. I do too much of that for my own good, sometimes." With that, she reopened her laptop and resumed her work, signaling that the conversation was over. Genji picked up his book with one hand and continued to card his fingers through her hair with the other, as a simple way of trying to comfort her. It was clear that it wasn't working well; if anything, Angela looked more troubled now than she did before the conversation had occurred. He did his best not to dwell on it.

* * *

It was a year after Genji came back, long after Angela had started to improve on the surface level, that he started to notice a dip in her mood again. The first time he brought it up to her, she claimed that he was just looking into things too much. Every subsequent time, she simply told him that she hadn't worn her Valkyrie suit in a while, and it was affecting her physically which spread to her mental health. When he asked her why, she simply shrugged and claimed that she didn't want to be too dependent on it.

Angela hated lying to Genji. She loathed it, in fact. Which is why she hated it when he brought up her recent change in mood. It did have to do something to do with not wearing her suit, but her not wearing the suit was actually an effect of what was happening, not the cause.

The doctor had begun working on her immortality project in full force, now. She had done quite a few tests on rats, and they had produced positive results. The nanobiotic technology had the ability to heal ailments as well as minor scars, along with preventing any from happening in the future. However, there was one problem. She could only work so much on rats before she had to move on to human testing. Still not wanting to tell Genji she was even considering the option of making him live forever, and not able to test it on anyone without telling people about her experimentation, she really only had one possible human subject for the tests: herself.

Of course, she couldn't test whether or not it prevented diseases. Her own body would do that naturally on its own. But a greater sign of whether or not her tests were working was if scarring was healed, since that meant the scar tissue was being completely replaced by brand new cells. Her own body didn't heal scars, or at the very least it didn't do it quickly, though her Valkyrie suit did, which was why she hadn't worn it in a while.

So she started creating scars to test, and she hated every second of it. It broke her down physically and mentally, to the point where sometimes she would turn into a sobbing, pathetic mess whenever she tried to do it. It was so counter-intuitive to her nature that it practically destroyed her. The worst part was, she knew that Genji would hate it if he knew what she was doing. He would be so vehemently opposed to this that he would never let her go through with it. So she had to do it all behind his back, spending countless nights alone in her bathroom crying because she was so scared. But she knew that this was a small price to pay to unlock the secret to living forever. Not only was she so engrossed in the science behind it, but in the back of her mind she already knew that she didn't want to spend forever alone. Guilt be damned, she just couldn't do it.

Testing was terribly slow. She had to let the wounds actually scar over each time, after all. That process could take quite a while depending on how serious the injury was. And over time, to test whether or not her machinery was improving, the injuries had to get progressively worse and worse. Sometimes it would be weeks or months before she could do another test, simply because the wound was so deep that it took that long to fully scar over.

She relied so much on Genji's support in that following year that she was sure he would push her and ask her what was wrong. But he never did, probably because he assumed that she would never lie to him, and if _that_ didn't make her feel like crap, nothing would.

However, because she counted on him so much, she became unhinged the second he told her that he needed to go back to Japan for a week. "What do you mean, you have to leave?" the doctor asked, voice filled with what probably sounded like unreasonable panic. "Why? What's so important there?"

"Angela, calm down. I promise I'm not leaving for very long. It will only be a couple days, a week at the very most. I've heard that my brother is still alive, and that there is the chance that he feels guilty for what he did. Don't you remember how we never found him in the Shimada clan during our missions? Supposedly he left after he thought he murdered me and has been wandering ever since. I need to go find him and make amends with him." Genji wrapped her in a tight hug. "I'll be back as soon as possible, I promise."

Tears burned at the corners of her eyes as she returned the hug, burying her face in the plating on his neck. She was being unreasonable, and she knew it, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. "Why would you want to do something as stupid as that? How could you leave me?"

Genji sighed. "This is something that I have to do. I have to make peace with my past, and with him, if there is even a chance. Please understand."

She choked out a sob, eyes closed tightly as she considered Genji leaving, being unreachable for a few days. It scared her, for more reasons than just being alone or being abandoned, which was probably what he attributed her panic to. "When are you leaving?" she finally mumbled.

"I'm afraid right now. I'm sorry, Angela. I'll be back before you know it." The moments after that were a blur. The next thing she knew, he was gone, and she was alone in her house. Alone with her testing equipment.

She made her way back to her bedroom and laid face down on her bed, covering her head with her pillow, as if trying to block out the sounds of her own thoughts. She didn't want to think about it - about being alone. Not now, not ever.

* * *

It had been a while since Genji had been back to Japan. Near the beginning of his journey to find himself he stopped for a quick visit, but it was only been a few days before the familiarity of it all had made him angry. He hadn't been back since then, especially considering how he couldn't seem to leave Angela alone nowadays without something going wrong. He was genuinely concerned for her; she had seemed to be making so much progress for a year until she suddenly became paranoid and terrified almost constantly. He was reluctant to leave her, but this was something he needed to do, if what he had heard concerning Hanzo was true.

In the past years, never once did he think that he would be back here on this very day, Children's Day. Nine years ago today his brother had tried to kill him. While the thought no longer made him mad, it still stung to consider. Nine years ago today his own flesh and blood had sliced him to pieces before calling upon ethereal guardians to burn him with blue fire, just to make sure the job was done. Nine years ago today he had watched as Hanzo, eyes dead and cold, demanded that his body be dumped on the street by two of their bodyguards. It made him shudder just thinking about it, and he could only pray that Hanzo had indeed changed over those nine years, just as he had.

The more he thought about it, as he waited for his brother to appear, the less he reviled he was at the thought. Because, after all, what his brother had done to him had led him to Angela. Her presence in his life was the greatest blessing he had ever had, far beyond anything he experienced before his "death." He had thought about these things before, but they never felt as real as they did right then. He was reminded of how grateful he was for what his brother did. That gratefulness was what led him to forgive Hanzo in the first place, after all. Things happened for a reason, even terrible things.

All that thinking was interrupted by the sound of metal softly hitting the pavement underneath him. Genji looked down onto the street below, and sure enough, there Hanzo was. He was running past the old ramen noodle shop they used to eat at all the time as kids, the one with the Children's Day flag flying outside it, and towards the gate of Hanamura Castle.

Genji could have dropped down from his perch and stopped Hanzo there. But he was too curious for his own good. His sources had led him to believe that Hanzo had come here once a year on this day for his own personal reasons, and Genji was curious to see what exactly he did. He had plenty of theories, sure, most of them having to do with himself. He knew Hanzo wouldn't be reappearing on the day of his brother's "death" for no reason in particular. So instead of stopping Hanzo, he simply followed him, quietly padding across the rooftops as he did so.

The first thing that stuck out to him was how many guards there were. Surely they did not keep this many guards on a day to day basis; after he and Angela had taken down the Shimada crime syndicate, the clan had lost almost all of their power and wealth, as well as most of their important members and elders. They were also very closely monitored by the Japanese government, though that might have relaxed some after Overwatch fell apart. This many guards daily would stretch their tight budget impossibly. No, there were probably more today than normal, and he could guess easily as to why.

Even with all of the guards, his brother hardly seemed fazed. It shocked Genji to see just how accurate Hanzo was with a bow. It also turned his stomach a bit to realize that the only guard his brother had killed had been an omnic. While Genji had no place in his heart for anyone associated with the Shimada clan, it still did not mean that he liked seeing an omnic die while the humans had simply been incapacitated. It also didn't bode well for a conversation with his brother later.

After clearing the courtyard, Hanzo made his way to the main building of the castle. Of course, Genji followed, sticking to the rooftops of the buildings and eventually the rafters once they were inside the main room. He hadn't been here in quite a while, and it surprised him greatly to see the shrine constructed in his honor still standing. There was the sword that had killed him, along with the banner splattered with the blood of the two brothers - although it was worth noting that there was significantly more of his blood on the wretched thing than there was Hanzo's. Indeed, this was where Genji Shimada was supposed to have died. Flashbacks of that day and the pain that had accompanied it made him slightly nauseous, but luckily he was too preoccupied to think deeply on the subject.

Hanzo set his weapon down and kneeled on the ground in front of the small shrine. He appeared to be putting some sort of incense down in front of him. His brother was honoring him, it seemed. Though he hadn't known the details, Genji hadn't expected any different. In fact, he had figured this would be the most likely outcome, considering the unlikeliness of Hanzo coming here every year for any reason other than him. But the sight of it actually happening, when the last image of Hanzo in his head was those cold, dead, unforgiving eyes that had willed his death, shocked him all the same.

He didn't have too much time to think about it, though; Hanzo finally said something. "You are not the first assassin sent to kill me. And you will _not_ be the last." Genji was slightly surprised that he had been noticed at all. It wasn't every day that someone saw him when he was attempting to stay stealthy.

Figuring there was no point in remaining hidden anymore, Genji fell down to the ground near-silently. So Hanzo thought he was an assassin, huh? Might as well play along with it somewhat, at least for now. It would probably be fun. "You are bold to come to Shimada castle, the den of your enemies." He felt clever for that statement. He hadn't given any confirmation that he was an assassin, because he certainly _wasn't_ , but he had also prompted more information from his brother.

"This was once my home. Did your masters not tell you who I was?" With that, Hanzo grabbed for his bow and shot at him. With so much time to watch for the shot, Genji easily leaned out of the way. He had hoped his brother's first reaction would be to talk, not to fight. He should have known that some things never change.

Even with everything going on, that statement nearly pulled a chuckle out of him. He needed no one to tell him who Hanzo _was_. He knew that already. What was much more interesting was who he was _now_. And Genji was pretty sure he knew that, too. Who he _was_ couldn't be less important, if who he was had changed. "I know who you _are_ , Hanzo." Another easily dodged arrow flew his way, Hanzo clearly frustrated. This was actually quite a fun game to play, teasing the truth and wondering if his brother would realize what it all really meant. "I know you come here every year on the same day."

This time he had to duck behind a lantern to dodge the three arrows that flew at him. Hanzo was clearly a better shot the more frustrated he was. "You risk so much to honor someone you murdered." Genji knew he should probably go out and say who he was at this point; this charade would probably only make Hanzo have a worse reaction to the news when he received it. But it was too fun to taunt the person who had once destroyed him in battle and to watch him miss his shots.

Thus, he peeked out from behind the lantern, aiming three shuriken for the quiver on Hanzo's back. All three connected, each taking off the feathers of a single arrow, which was exactly what he had hoped for. The fight would end when his brother ran out of arrows, so this would simply quicken it.

Hanzo seemed genuinely pissed now. "You know nothing of what happened!" Another arrow flew Genji's way. He brought up his sword and let it bounce off, but the force was actually enough to knock him back through the lantern he had hidden behind moments before. The next arrow Hanzo shot was much different than the others; it splintered into tens of tiny arrows, each with what seemed to be barbed ends, which bounced off of the walls, attempting to find a target to latch onto. Genji deflected what he could and dodged the rest, quickly making his way onto the balcony outside. He didn't find the idea of facing more of those arrows to be appealing, and they wouldn't be as easy to use in an open space.

His brother followed, though he could only do so much compared to Genji's lightning fast movements. Genji even had time to scale the wall and sit in the rafters once again, causing Hanzo some confusion. He wondered if it would be easy to mess with him like this. "I know you tell yourself that your brother disobeyed the clan…" he called down from the rafters on one side of the balcony. Hanzo turned quickly and immediately shot where he thought Genji would be, but the cyborg was long gone, and the arrow lodged itself in the wall. He fell down from the rafters behind Hanzo, "…and that you had to kill him to maintain order- that it was your duty." Now came the moment of truth. He had just challenged what Hanzo had done, challenged the decisions that he had made. So had he changed his mind? Did he see it as a duty now, instead of a choice? Because, contrary to what anyone would have said, it had been a choice at the time. Hanzo had chosen to kill him, and while the elders had encouraged him to do it, they had not forced him to – that was no duty. It was likely, if he felt guilt over what he had done, his brain would convince him that he hadn't made a choice. That he had no say, because it was his duty.

"It was my duty _and_ my burden," Genji smiled slightly under his mask- there it was. While his brother might not have realized it, he had just confessed his guilt. Another arrow flew Genji's way, again easily deflected, making a dull noise as it sunk into the wooden floor. His brother had a flair for dramatics, especially pulling arrows out of his quiver slowly, which made it painfully simple for Genji to predict every shot. "But that does not mean I do not honor him!" Hanzo once again drew back the bow slowly before letting the arrow fly. Genji smirked; his brother's dramatics would one day be his undoing, especially against an opponent that actually wanted to harm him. Hell, _he_ could be dramatic too, if he wanted. His smirk increased as he flipped the blade around in his hand and sliced it clean through the arrow, which landed in two perfect halves on the ground.

Hanzo looked at Genji in shock for a brief second, as if he forgot where he was and what he was doing. A jolt of pride surged through the cyborg. That was the same look that he had always wanted Hanzo to give to him as a kid. That look of surprise at something done well, done better than even Hanzo could do. Genji had only seen that look a couple times before. The one that stuck out in his mind was one day when his father had been teaching Genji how to control his guardian spirit – his ethereal dragon. While Hanzo had always, for some reason, had two dragons instead of the one Genji had, which made him inherently more powerful, Genji had always had a better relationship and control over his own guardian. Hanzo had given him that same look the day he had accidentally walked into one of Genji's training sessions, only to see him controlling the dragon to wrap around his sword. Hanzo's eyes had gone slightly wide and bulging, just long enough for Genji to see, and his mouth had dropped open. Compared to how uptight his brother normally was around their father, it was like Genji had witnessed a whole new person that day. It had only taken a second before young Hanzo regained control over his emotions once again and started complaining about how his dragons couldn't do that, but the moment couldn't be erased. Genji had kept it lodged in his head for years, and it made him smile as he now fought with his brother, who was still just as easily angered and as hard to impress.

After running out of arrows, Hanzo resorted to swinging his bow at Genji like a club. It was no question that Genji would eventually beat him, and it came as no surprise to either of them when that inevitability arrived; it was satisfying, hovering over Hanzo as he laid on the ground, using his bow to try to push Genji's blade away from his neck. Genji still had no intent to hurt him; if he had, his sword would have been clean through Hanzo's neck already. But this was a perfect time to explain to his brother that he could use a new set of ideals. "You think you honor your brother Genji with incense offerings? Honor resides in ones _actions_." That statement meant so much to Genji, so far beyond the surface value of what it appeared. In part, it was a criticism of how Hanzo had treated the situation. Incense offerings weren't going to just fix what he had broken so many years ago. But there was more to it than just that; by coming here in the first place, fighting to get to the spot where he "killed" his brother, he had shown by his actions that he really did care. He had left the clan, which were essentially his only remaining family, become their enemies, and still he made an effort to honor Genji every year. That was the honorable part, and while he could still do more, he had already done enough to make Genji forgive him completely.

However, Hanzo didn't seem too happy about the statement that Genji found so clever. In fact, he looked angrier than he had been so far. "You dare to lecture me about honor? You are not worthy to say his name!" With that, he pushed Genji off of himself, sending the cyborg flying to the other end of the porch and ran to grab the arrow that had lodged itself in the ground.

Hanzo arched an eyebrow, drawing back his bow as he looked at the now hunched over cyborg. He was probably sure that he had his enemy defeated. After all, not many people would expect what was coming next. Genji, however, was not just any person. With a loud shout of "Ryū ga waga teki wo kurau," he let the arrow fly, sending it along with two blue celestial guardian dragons.

Genji had anticipated that this might happen, but he had hoped it would not, since it would make him use his own dragon. Genji hadn't used his own guardian spirit for combat since the last time the two of them had fought. The dragon had almost broken free of its own will the day that Angela had nearly died on a field mission, but that was entirely an accident. For a while, he had been ashamed of the power. The dragon was another thing that connected him to his old life, and he had once hated it. Zenyatta had finally taught him to accept the creature, since it was an integral part of him, literally created out of a piece of his soul, but since that point he had not needed to use it in combat.

However, he had to do what he had to do. Plus, it would be great to see the look on Hanzo's face when he did. He called upon his dragon. "Ryūjin no ken wo kurae!" The glowing green beast wrapped around his now drawn sword and roared proudly, seemingly thankful to be truly back for the first time in nine years. Genji concentrated, calling upon his greater communication with the dragons to direct the three of them back towards Hanzo. He saw his brother's eyes widen and mouth drop in shock as the creatures hurled back in his direction. They wouldn't physically harm him – Genji had made sure of that. They would only hurt those that were the foes of the one controlling them. No, they just drained Hanzo's energy, causing him to fall to his knees in exhaustion and shock.

"Only a Shimada can control the dragons. Who are you?" Genji's eyebrows lifted from underneath his mask. That statement was highly inaccurate. Not just any Shimada had a dragon guardian; it was a gift that was bestowed on their direct family alone, and even then it was only certain children. Their father had been the only one out of four siblings that had been given a dragon. Thus, even though their father was the youngest, he had inherited the clan. Not only that, but dragon spirits were unique to each person. A dragon was actually a part of your soul, and therefore could never belong to or be completely controlled by another person.

Hanzo knew who he was. The signature of Genji's dragon was unique to him alone. The archer just didn't want to believe it – couldn't even think that the reality of the situation would even be an _option_.

Genji could have just told Hanzo then, but he knew he needed to do one more thing. He needed to show Hanzo that he had never had the intent to hurt him in the first place. All of this had started because Hanzo had assumed he was an assassin, after all. He needed to show Hanzo that he had been in complete control of the entire situation and still had never done Hanzo any harm. He wasn't sure why, but that message felt important.

With that in mind, he was next to Hanzo in a flash of green and silver, blade resting gently next to his throat. Hanzo seemed shocked for a small moment before the look in his eyes turned resigned, peaceful, and almost hopeful. A flash of realization caused Genji to understand that his brother could _want_ to die. That thought made his stomach churn.

"Do it then. Kill me." Hanzo finally muttered, his voice displaying a defiance that was opposite to what Genji had already seen in his eyes.

The cyborg gave a small smile beneath his mask before lowering the blade. "No, I will not grant you the death you wish for. You still have a purpose in this life, brother."

The shock on Hanzo's face was worth every second of this trip to Japan. "No. How? My brother is dead." The archer turned to face Genji, staring at him warily – but hopefully.

Genji smiled kindly under his mask before reaching back behind his head and clicking it off. The cold wind bit against his skin, but it was nothing that he wasn't used to after almost always being in the freezer that was Angela's home. Hanzo's eyes widened even further as his brain tried to understand what it had known deep down since the dragon appeared. "Genji…" the word was spoken softly, as close to a whisper as he had ever known Hanzo to get. His brother had never been the type of person to show much emotion aside from anger or pride. If Genji could get this much emotion out of him, he could walk away proud.

Hanzo looked at him for another second before looking towards the ground, guilt clouding his eyes. "What have you… become?" The last word was spoken not without large amounts of disdain.

Genji sighed inwardly and put the mask back on. "I have accepted what I am, and I have forgiven you." He walked towards his brother and put a hand on Hanzo's shoulder. "Now you must forgive yourself. The world is changing once again Hanzo, and it's time to pick a side." Part of him would have liked to stay and talk to Hanzo more, but the flair for dramatics did slightly run in the family.

With that, he jumped off of the balcony onto a nearby rooftop, looking back to see Hanzo drawing his bow once again at him, angry once more. That seemed to be his default emotion, nowadays. "Real life is not like the stories our father told us. You are a fool for believing it so!"

Genji rolled his eyes under his mask. He knew Hanzo didn't mean it; there was no way on earth that the archer would shoot that arrow. He was simply scared and confused, and his default reaction to any strong emotion had always been anger. "Perhaps I am a fool, to think there is still hope for you. But I do. Think on that, brother." And with that, Genji disappeared into the night, leaving his brother alone in the dark. Hanzo probably had plenty to think about, after all. He likely could use some time alone.

Tomorrow, he would get his contact to give Hanzo information on how to reach him and Angela if he ever wanted to. All Genji had wanted was to let Hanzo know that he was forgiven, and he had accomplished that. Anything else he left for the archer to decide.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Switzerland, Angela's past few days had not fared quite as well as Genji's had. She had been an uncontrollable, sobbing mess the entire time that he was gone, and with good reason.

There had been some tests that she had needed to do to ensure that her machine was working perfectly. However, if they were to happen, they'd probably take a while to recover from, and if Genji was around during that time he would likely find out what had been going on. So if she was going to do the tests, she would have to do them now, while he was gone.

And she didn't want to do it. God, she didn't _want_ to. Everything that had been going on in the past year was so against everything she stood for and everything she wanted that it tore her apart. But it was also a necessary step in making sure her machine would actually do what it was supposed to, and she was the only test subject that she had. This whole thing would be so much easier if she had subjects with preexisting scars or injuries that she could test it on, but then she also ran the risk of someone having part of their arm that didn't age with the rest of them. No, she really was the only one this would work with.

But that thought didn't help much when she was sitting in her basement, her largest and sharpest kitchen knife in hand. That didn't stop her hands and knees from shaking uncontrollably as she tested all of the dials on the machine to ensure that it was ready to be activated immediately should the need arise.

"This is by far the stupidest thing I have ever even considered doing," the doctor thought aloud blandly as tears continued to spill over her cheeks. "I'm actually bloody insane. I've completely gone off of the deep end." She set the knife down and cradled her head in her hands. She felt completely nauseous, which likely wasn't the best conditions to be experimenting in, but she was determined to either do something now or never touch these tests again.

"Okay, Angela, let's weigh the pros and cons, okay? You love lists, so let's make a list. Pros: if you do this now, you will know if the machine will replace any cells with nanobiotic ones, and all that is left is a little bit more of testing; you'll never have to hurt yourself again, ever – this will be the last time, no matter what; you know you can't test this in smaller steps unless you want to drive yourself insane, so this is the best way; you've already tested this on rats, and it works, so it should work on humans."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm the wobble in her voice before continuing. "Cons: if the machine, for whatever reason, doesn't work, you'll be seriously crippled until you can fix it; Genji could find out; it's going to hurt like hell, even with chemicals to numb it."

She looked up from her hands and back to where the machine was humming gently on the table, ready to be activated. "So, Angela Ziegler, do you want to do it?" she whispered softly, looking back to the knife glimmering evilly on the table. She picked the wicked thing up warily and her stomach churned at the very thought, but she knew what her answer was. She couldn't live alone for eternity, and this was the only way she had been able to come up with to avoid that outcome.

"Do I want to? No. But I will," she muttered with a resigned sigh. Her left arm was already as numb as she could manage to get it in anticipation of this happening, so all that was left was to do it.

Half of her wanted to close her eyes, just so that she didn't have to look at it happening. But she knew how stupid that idea would be. She gulped down the bile rising in her throat before laying her left arm down on the table. She lined the knife up with the back of her wrist, where the top of her hand connected with her arm, before pulling back and swinging.

The scream that torn through her throat shook her entire body, especially since the knife didn't cut all the way through, so she had to do it again. She was shaking and crying, and while everything was blurry, one thing was very, very clear: her left hand was no longer attached to her body.

She dropped the knife in a panic and fumbled with the controls on the machine, desperately looking for the button to turn it on. Everything was a blur and the vision at the corners of her eyes was going dark, but she _had_ to find that button. If she didn't, she _would_ bleed out. That idea let her muddle through the pain for long enough to find the button, turn it on, and jam her arm inside.

Once she had done that successfully, she let herself break down. She was still screaming and crying, choking to get more air as she sobbed relentlessly. Nothing in the world could have prepared her for that kind of pain, and the fact that she had done it to herself made it even worse.

She completely lost it when she caught sight of the hand that she had just cut off, sitting in a pool of blood on the table. The bile that had been threatening to escape the entire time finally found its way out, and she threw up all over herself and the floor, still crying and finding it very hard to breathe. It scared her that there was still a very real possibility that she might pass out. She had to keep her arm in the machine unless she really wanted something to go terribly wrong, and she wasn't sure that it would stay there if she passed out. As much as she wanted to make the pain go away by not being conscious for it, she knew that she had to be.

Her sobbing was now practically causing her to choke, and her throat burned after every desperate attempt to take a deep breath. Small chunks of her hair kept getting caught in the corners of her mouth, causing her to splutter even more. Eventually she laid her good arm out on a relatively clean spot on the table and rested her head on it, staring at the cold metal in front of her face. The real pain from what she had done had stopped minutes ago. What was left was only the trauma that she had been through and the ghost of pain that wasn't even there. Not only did every inch of her ache from a pain that reasonably shouldn't have existed, but the thoughts that ran through her head were as painful as anything else. What would Genji think if he found out what she had done? What she had _been_ doing this entire time? She knew he probably wouldn't be upset with her, but with himself. He'd think that somehow he had failed her, when in reality everything she had done had been of her own free will.

"I'm such a damn fool." She muttered as her eyes closed tightly, more hot tears leaking out of them. "There had to have been a better way and I was too stupid to think of it."

It was certainly true. There most definitely was a better way to do this, but the issue still lied with her resources and her secrecy. If she wanted to do something this drastic, no matter what way she did it, it most certainly would have taken her multiple days to recover, and Genji would notice something like that. There would be no way for her to keep the experiments a secret. And she was still the only possible test subject for things like this with her limited resources, so it wasn't as if she could operate on someone else without the cyborg noticing. Her only chance to do an experiment like this was when he was gone for an extended period of time, and that chance had jumped her before she was ready to take advantage of it. That was all she could think of for a while, beating herself up over doing something so rash and stupid without thinking through it properly (despite the fact that she really had given it plenty of thought).

The hour that followed as her machine carried out its programming was utterly grueling. None of the thoughts that coursed through the doctor's head were pleasant ones, despite how hard she was attempting to convince herself that it would all be worth it in the end. Not only that, but it felt like someone had just given her a serious beating, and occasionally she would get the urge to throw up again.

Needless to say, when she heard the machine alerting her that the procedure had finished, she practically ripped her arm out of the thing. All of that pain disappeared for a small moment, replaced by a sense of childlike wonder as she stared at the new, perfectly structured human hand in front of her. She held her hand in front of her face, curling her fingers into her palm as she stared at the alien thing. It looked identical to the one that she had lost. Of course, that had been the plan. Every doctor's office nowadays was equipped with a full body scan that archived a patient's physical wellbeing and all of their attributes, the purpose of which was to bring attention to any abnormalities existed in their health. She had simply gotten access to her most recent scan and input the information into her machine, allowing it to make a copy of her hand. But even knowing the science behind it didn't stop the curious scientist inside Angela to light up at what her experiment had done. This was it. With a few more tweaks, she would be able to replace any regular human tissue with nanobiotic cells. It would probably be a significantly longer procedure if the machine had to replace the cells instead of just creating them, but the theory was still there, and it stood perfectly in tact. She had done it.

More tears began to roll down her cheeks as she clutched her hand to her chest, except she wasn't upset this time. Pure, unadulterated relief shook through her as she held the brand new limb as close to herself as possible. She could hardly imagine what might have happened had her experiment not worked. Despite what she had been through for the past hour, that was more than enough to be thankful for – that she still had a working hand.

She found herself crawling away from the table that she had been sitting at towards a corner of her lab, curling into as small of a ball as she could, and just crying. It was simply the only reaction that she could muster after what she had been through – more tears. All Angela could really do was be thankful that it was all finally over, and that soon she would never have to do any sort of experiment like this ever again.

 **Did I just write the Dragons short in the viewpoint of Genji? You betcha I did. I've overanalyzed the crap out of that short, you have no idea. I didn't even need to look up the dialogue because I've watched it so many times. I just think it's super interesting that if you go back and look at what Genji actually did, none of it went against what his reveal ended up being. It's ALL in character, and a lot of times writers will try to make a surprise reveal more surprising by making their character different from the beginning to the end. But everything he does can be explained logically, as well as everything he says, and I LOVE it.**

 **Also, we're starting to get into good territory, believe you me. I've got some nice stuff planned up ahead, so ready yourselves ;D It ain't all doom and gloom up in here, I swear. I like happy stories. There is sufficient cuteness in store.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I've had some people ask me how I get my inspiration. In truth, I listen to a playlist that I made on youtube (with some help from other Gency playlists lying around, but a lot of it is my own taste in music). If you want to check it out, my youtube is Mega Bear and the playlist is named Gency/Emergenji (Overwatch). I don't actually post videos, but I have a few playlists up on there if you care. There is a significant shortage on playlists like this for Gency on youtube, so I made my own :D If you want to cry lots of tears without the playlist, go listen to David Cook "When You Find You" and think of it like Angela is singing it. Heart-wrenching stuff.**

 **Also, I may be making a Christmas one shot before Christmas is over. So if you guys like that kind of stuff, check it out when it comes.**

* * *

Genji had never been hugged quite so tightly in his entire life as when Angela practically tackled him at his arrival home. The doctor had been through quite an ordeal over his few days of absence. She had cut off her hand, yes, but what was even worse was the fact that she had to then clean up the old limb. It had emptied its blood all over both the table and the floor, forcing her to scrub at the normally sterile surfaces until her hands were raw. However, nothing was worse than having to pick up the detached hand. Not only did it smell terrible after being left alone for an entire night, but it was also her _hand._ The trauma of the previous night was still fresh in her mind, and seeing the vile thing didn't help. She had only barely managed to dispose of it without throwing up, and the bile that rose in the back of her throat had still been a serious threat for the next few hours after that.

Genji came home a day later, which was when Angela practically tackled him. Of course, he didn't know _why_ she was so relieved to see him, just that she was relieved. All he could assume was that she had some serious separation anxiety. He couldn't blame her, really. If anything, it made him feel guilty; if she had this bad anxiety it was likely due to how he left all those years ago.

"Did you miss me?" The cyborg asked playfully, ruffling her hair as he hugged her back.

Angela closed her eyes tightly and sighed, burrowing further into the plating on Genji's neck. "You have absolutely no idea. How did it go?"

"Interestingly." Genji commented simply before explaining further. "Hanzo has a lot of deep seeded emotions to deal with right now. He was so shocked that he tried to kill me again after finding out who I was." Angela visibly stiffened at that new information, causing her companion to chuckle kindly. "Don't worry. He wasn't actually going to. He was just confused, and his only response to confusing emotions has always been anger. I believe he will come around. I even ensured that he would have a way to contact me when he needs it."

"I-I guess that's good." Angela replied cautiously. "Are you sure that he won't use that information to contact you and hurt you?"

Genji nodded enthusiastically. "Positive. Give him a couple months and I promise he'll be here ready to reconcile."

The cyborg didn't lie. About two months after his trip to Japan, Genji's brother appeared at Angela's door. Knowing that he was almost never at his own home, Genji had given Hanzo information to get to Angela's house, but he hadn't expected the archer to arrive randomly in the middle of the night.

Angela was certainly not appreciative of that small oversight. Considering Genji never came over in the middle of the night, the fact that there was a knock at her door at one in the morning scared her half to death. She immediately grabbed her pistol from her bedside table, rolling it in her hands as she made her way to her front door, where the knocking continued. In her pajama pants and sleepshirt she cautiously opened the door, pointing the pistol at head level as she did.

"Who are you and why are you at my house?" The doctor barked authoritatively, her pistol pointing right between Hanzo's eyes. The archer was more than a little shocked at the sudden hostility and he stumbled back a few steps, unable to respond. Angela glared at him. "I don't have all day, er, I mean night. Who the hell are you?"

It didn't take the man long to regain his composure. He straightened his robes primly and corrected his posture before responding. "I'm so sorry to bother you, ma'am. My name is Hanzo, and it would seem I have the wrong house. "

Angela's eyes widened in recognition at the name as the man turned around and began to walk away. She quickly lowered her gun and reached out her other hand to grab his shoulder. "Wait, I know you!" Hanzo stiffened at being touched, but turned around all the same. "You're Genji's brother, right?"

The man nodded. "I am. May I ask who you are?"

Angela smiled slyly. "His doctor. Come on in, you've been out for a while, huh? Genji comes over almost every day, so if you wait a few hours he should be here. Get some rest while you wait."

Hanzo entered when she waved him in, but he didn't move from the entryway. "I am not tired; I should wait outside for him."

The doctor swatted his hand away from the door as he reached for it and smiled lightly. "Nonsense. It's chilly during the night around here. Let me make some hot cocoa and we can talk. My living room is over there."

"I really had not intended to disturb you; if you would just let me-"

"I'm not taking no for an answer. Go. Sit." Angela waved her hand towards the living room, and he followed obediently. She had a way of ordering people without needing to be intimidating; when Angela Ziegler commanded you to do something, you listened.

Angela was back into the living room, a steaming cup of cocoa in each hand, in about five minutes. The hot chocolate was more for herself than it was for her guest. While she wouldn't admit it, part of her panicked at the idea of any of Genji's family inhabiting the same room as she did, although he had assured her that Hanzo was harmless now, even _good_ , perish the thought. The chocolate would soothe her nerves and allow her to be a decent host. She sat down across from the chair in which Hanzo was primly perched, like he might run at any second. He inspected the cup she set in front of him for a few seconds like it might be poisoned before drinking it, perhaps deciding that if she had really wanted him dead she would have shot him a few minutes prior.

They sat for a few moments in awkward silence before Angela decided to break it. She was the one who had encouraged him to stay and talk, after all. It was only fair that she began the conversation. She began in fluent Japanese, figuring it would probably make the man less skittish. "So, I suppose you're wondering who I actually am. My introduction earlier left a lot to be desired, I know. Drama has never been my strong suit. My name is Doctor Angela Ziegler. I was once the chief medical researcher, neurosurgeon, and general doctor for the organization of Overwatch. While I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard of me, since few people care much about medicine until it saves them, I also wouldn't be surprised if you had. I created the field of nanobiology, essentially."

The stoic man actually seemed moderately impressed, at least as impressed as Angela thought his passive face could display. "That still doesn't explain why I'm here," he commented quietly after mulling over her words for a second.

"Ah, that would be important, wouldn't it?" Angela quirked and eyebrow and laughed mischievously. "To be frank, I don't know exactly why you're here, either. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say it's because Genji spends a lot of his time at my home, and he didn't want to miss you if you came to his house. I doubt he expected you to show up at this time of night. You see, when Genji had his, ah, accident, I was the one that found him near-death in an alleyway. I was the one that performed the operations to save his life, and I was the one who put him in the suit that I'm sure you saw earlier. It was the only way to allow him to be able to walk again. Though I was able to save his actual limbs, I couldn't restore movement to them without outside help. Nanobiotics wasn't far along enough to allow me to do anything more." The doctor shrugged the subject off as if it didn't matter, though she knew her face betrayed her guilt. "After his procedures, the two of us went through Japan, systematically taking down the Shimada clan. I know you left the crime syndicate shortly after the accident, so I assume you have no issues with that?" Angela asked carefully, her hand moving slightly toward where her pistol was stored in the belt of her pajama pants. However, Hanzo simply nodded and waved for her to continue. "Good," her hand moved back to its previous position in her lap. "So, as you can probably imagine, the two of us are rather close. While I'm still surprised that he sent you here, it at least makes some sense." Angela set the mug in her hands down on the coffee table in front of her, folding her hands neatly in her lap. "But, I feel like there is a still more interesting question to ask. Why _are_ you here, Mr. Shimada?" The doctor smiled kindly. "I assume it is not simply because you like my company."

Hanzo smiled oddly before setting his barely sipped hot chocolate down as well. "What a question indeed. Well, my brother's return was a surprise to me, to say the least. For nine years I just assumed he was dead. The guards that brought him out to where you found him assured me that he was, but I had never gone to see myself. And I'm so very glad that I did not. However, his return confused me. I need to know what has happened for these past years, and after I learn that, I intend to seek redemption for my past errors, though I know there is no real way to do so. My honor can never be restored, but the least that I can do is right some of the wrongs I have created in this life. I owe him that much."

Angela hummed quietly to herself for a moment, deep in thought. "You know, I could begin to tell you some of Genji's story, but part of me wonders if those tales are best left for him to explain. However, I can tell you this one thing about your brother; he has subscribed to a philosophy that I have held dear to my heart since the day that I found him. He believes, like I do, though perhaps not so strongly, that the person to whom the debt is owed gets to decide how great the debt is. Well, in most cases he believes it. He still hasn't given up the idea that he owes a debt to me, as much as I like to tell him that he simply does not." The doctor gave Hanzo, a sweet, endearing smile before continuing. "However, back on track, what I mean by all that is that Genji will decide for himself what debt you owe him. And while you may dispute whatever he decides, it is still his decision in the end. Don't pressure yourself to decide how to restore your honor. While you thought he was dead, yes, it was yours to decide. But it no longer is."

The archer paused, considering, before finally speaking. "You are a brilliant woman, Miss Ziegler. While I may not agree with you, that much is clear."

Angela laughed loudly, "And I'll tell you what I told your brother nine years ago. Please don't call me Miss Ziegler. It makes me sound like my mother." She calmed her laughter into small chuckles before continuing. "Do you have any other questions?"

"A few. How do you speak Japanese so well?" The man still seemed to have a healthy admiration for her; every word was punctured with just the slightest amount of awe.

"I picked it up while Genji was, ah, gone is the best way to describe it simply, I suppose" Angela squirmed slightly at the subject. "I'm sure he'll tell you more about that time himself. I learned it in his honor. Before that point I knew enough to get by while living in Japan, and the two of us talked mostly in English."

That question sparked hours of conversation. Hanzo wasn't very willing to give up information about himself beyond vague details, though he was happy to tell Angela anything she wanted to know about Genji. Most of what they discussed were things that Genji would call "childhood horror stories." While Hanzo had only at most slightly smiled at the memories, too many of them had caused Angela to nearly double over with laughter on more than one occasion. The cyborg hardly told her anything about his childhood due to painful memories, so in one sitting Hanzo had said more concerning young Genji than Angela had heard in the past nine years.

Angela giggled relentlessly at the stories. "He sounds like he was almost as much of a handful as he was when I found him."

Hanzo's lips turned up slightly into his seemingly default half-smile. "Oh, nothing could have been more of a handful than my brother as a teenager. You don't even know the half of it."

It was at that moment that the front door opened. "Angela?" Genji's voice called out as he walked into the small entryway, removing his face mask and closing the door with a soft click. "You weren't at meditation today, did something happen?" It was then that he walked into the living room. On the table sat two completely empty cups of cocoa while his brother sat across from his best friend. Angela was still laughing uncontrollably to the point that tears were threatening to stream down her cheeks. Hanzo was wearing his half-smile until he turned to face Genji, who had become frozen with shock. Hanzo's face fell instantly into a solemn expression.

Angela wiped at the corners of her eyes, roping in her giggling so that she could take Genji seriously. "Hanzo just showed up a few hours ago. I've been making his acquaintance for the past few hours because _someone_ sent him to _my_ house for some reason." The tone of her voice was unmistakably playful as she patted the seat on the couch next to her before standing up herself. "C'mon, I know that you two have a lot to talk about, and I probably shouldn't be here for it."

Genji, however, was still too shocked to respond. He stood frozen for a minute, looking back and forth between the two other people in the room, before Angela finally sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "Hanzo, can you give the two of us a minute? I know it's not a big house, but I have a guest bedroom you can go into. It's the first door on the left down there." She waved in the vague direction of the hallway. The archer nodded and made his way down to Genji's old room. Angela resumed speaking when she heard the door close. "Okay, I know it's a surprise to see him right now but it shouldn't be _that_ much of a surprise. What's up?"

Genji blinked for a few seconds before shaking his head and looking at the blonde doctor scowling up at him. "I suppose it was just a shock to see you two talking and actually _getting along_. I figured you would hate him." There was a clear note of jealousy in Genji's voice, which the doctor picked up on easily. What she didn't know was whether he was jealous of her being able to get along well with Hanzo, or Hanzo being able to get along easily with her.

"Oh please, he's not that bad. He seemed really guilty, and I have a tendency to forgive people for their stupidity, something you should know well. Not only that, but he was telling me a bunch of childhood stories about the two of you. That's what was making me laugh." Angela rolled her eyes and smiled. His jealousy was more endearing than it reasonably should have been.

"I just…" he paused, unsure of what exactly to say, "I feel like he caught me while I was at my most vulnerable. With you. Now I'm not sure what to do."

Angela laughed. "If you felt that way, then you shouldn't have directed him to my _house_ , you absolute moron. Now your brother is sitting in my guest room after seeking you out trying to right his wrongs. Don't let this opportunity sit there. Until I met him I didn't think reconciling the two of you would be possible. I thought he'd be this stone cold asshole who didn't really want to change. But I truly think he does want to be better now. So go for it. Everything will be okay, I promise." Angela grabbed one of his hands and gave it a short squeeze before letting go and stepping out of the way so Genji could see the hallway. She motioned toward the door Hanzo had entered moments before, encouraging her companion to move to the room.

Genji obeyed, but not before grabbing his face mask and clicking it back into place, which warranted a sigh from Angela. With that matter settled, he opened the door to what had once been his room and stepped inside. Angela actually tidied the room now that he was back, since he had a tendency to randomly crash at her home. Hanzo was sitting on the edge of his old bed, a photo frame grasped between two well-worn hands. It only took Genji a second to recognize it as the picture that normally sat on the bedside table, the one of him, Angela, and a child.

"You two are close." The archer commented as he heard the door open and close.

"Very." Genji said simply. There weren't proper words to describe their friendship, as odd as it was, so he figured a simple response was best.

Hanzo looked up from the picture, eyeing his brother curiously. "Are you together?"

Genji's cheeks immediately turned red. He reacted defensive before he remembered that Hanzo couldn't actually see his face. "Oh no no no. It isn't like that at all."

That half smile reappeared on Hanzo's face. "But you wish it was?"

Genji was rather unhappy at this point. This conversation was not going the way he planned, and he was not in the mood for whatever it was turning into. "I really don't think you came from Japan to give me relationship advice, brother. Could we move on?"

Hanzo nodded. "Certainly." He set the picture back down where it belonged, adjusting it until it was perfectly straight, before standing up and folding his arms. "I have come here seeking redemption. What happened all those years ago was wrong, and I knew that only weeks after it occurred. I've regretted it for years, and now that I have the chance to make my mistakes right, I wish to. Although there is no way to repay the debts that I simply must have accrued over these years, it would not be right of me not to start."

The cyborg smirked slightly underneath his mask. "Hanzo, you are not in my debt. In fact, in some ways I may be in yours. A lot has happened in the past nine years, and while not all of it has been good, it has been worth the cost I paid to get to this point."

Hanzo's eyebrows raised in confusion. "The doctor mentioned that you might say something like that, although I cannot possibly understand what you mean by it."

Genji smiled kindly. "Then let me tell you. I guess it's easiest to start where this all began. When I was lying on the street that day at death's door, an angel practically materialized out of nowhere. She simply saw me and started to help, bandaging my wounds, calling in for backup, and staying by my side even after I told her my name – who I was. Even though we probably knew each other for thirty minutes before a helicopter came to pick us up, that short amount of conversation was all she needed to convince me that life could still be worth living.  
So that's just what I did. I lived it, I gave her permission to turn me into a cyborg if it meant that I'd get to use my arms and legs again, and the two of us began to systematically dismantle the entire Shimada clan. And when that was done, well, I began to have the same reaction to my own body that you probably did when you first saw me for who I was." Hanzo's cheeks turned slightly red at this statement, mostly out of shame. "No, don't feel bad. I don't blame you, because I felt the same way once. As proud as she was of what she had accomplished to save me, that didn't stop me from being ashamed. I started to feel less human, like I wasn't worth being loved. And at that point, that was all I wanted – her love – since at that point I loved her so dearly already. Everything started to make me feel paranoid, even her sometimes. It is no way to live, scared of everyone, even the one person who makes you happy.  
Knowing all of this, I ran. I ran to try to find something that would make me satisfied again. Funnily enough, despite my cowardice, I found it. I made my way to an omnic monastery in Nepal and found inner peace. I had never been more tranquil in my entire life. I spent five years there without contacting anyone from Overwatch.  
However, she had not had an easy time without me gone. She had not only lost me after I disappeared without a trace, but she lost the three people most important to her to death. As soon as I found out, I ran back to her. Because even though I found my peace in Nepal, my heart was with her here."

Genji tilted his head, gesturing back towards the door he had recently walked through. "You see, Hanzo, she is the reason that I forgave you. I had already accepted that I had forgiven you in Nepal, but when I came back I fully understood why I did it. I walked into this same door door and found the girl I loved sobbing on this bed because her three parental figures had died. Their deaths would have occurred whether or not I had met her, but if I hadn't met her I wouldn't have been able to be there when she needed it most. She was so close to just giving up, because everyone had given up on her. That moment alone was more meaningful to me than the over twenty years that I spent wasting my life in Hanamura. Every single second I have spent with her was worth more than a minute at what was once our home. And, for those moments, I simply cannot thank you enough. Without you I never would have met her, and she is the greatest blessing I have ever had."

Hanzo blinked a couple of times as he stared contemplatively at the floor, processing the mass amount of information that his brother had just dropped upon him. "But that does not excuse what I did," he began slowly, lifting up his gaze as he did so. "I still tried to kill you, Genji."

"So you made a mistake," Genji shrugged, "I've made a lot of those, too. But I have forgiven you for it."

"But that is not the same thing!" The archer said defensively, raising his voice and motioning emphatically with his hands. "Your forgiveness does not erase what I did. _I_ forced my dragons to burn their own kin. _I_ stained my own sword with your blood. _I_ splattered that same blood all over the tapestries, for heaven's sake! Nothing changes those facts, even if you miraculously survived!" He took a couple steps back, stumbling into a sitting position and holding his head in his hands. "I just… Genji I simply cannot regain my honor from something like that. I've worked for what is now nearing ten years simply attempting, but there is no true way to do so."

A creak sounded as Genji sat on the bed next to his brother. The two shared a brief moment of silence before the cyborg spoke. "There was once, when Angela had just put me into this suit, that she explained something to me. Her colleague Winston had installed the features into this suit that make me a great assassin – the shuriken, the sheath, the stealth programming, and so on – because Overwatch decided that I was in their debt. She was so torn up about that. Not only because she had sworn never to make a weapon and they had gone behind her back to turn me into one, but that they even considered me to be in their debt in the first place. She claimed that since she believed I owed nothing, there was no debt to be paid."

"That seems rather ludicrous." Hanzo commented dryly.

"I thought so too, at first. After all that she had done for me, the days on end that she had gone without sleep, of course I owed her, especially since I knew that she probably funded a lot of the project herself. It took me years to realize what she meant, even if I couldn't fully accept it, and it was by thinking about the situation like this:  
Say a poor man borrowed thousands upon thousands of dollars from an acquaintance. After using it all, he had no way to repay the lender. The man spent years in debt before the person who lent him the money eventually decided to free him of his debt, for no other reason than because he wanted to. A while down the road, the man tried to begin repaying the lender, but his acquaintance would not take the money. He refused to accept the money because he had already forgiven the debt. Is that not all there is to it? The man to whom the debt was owed had the right to alieve it if he so desired, and the debtor had almost no say in the matter. In the same way, I owed my life and more to Angela, and she simply forgave my debt. Does that make sense?"

Hanzo sighed loudly. "You're going to apply this to me, are you not?"

That got Genji to laugh. He rested his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Hanzo, I have forgiven you. The only thing I wanted from you was acknowledgement that you were sorry, and I got that already. There is nothing that you can say or do to make me go back on that decision: you owe me nothing, whether you like it or not."

"So that's it?" came the frustrated reply. "Nine years of seeking redemption and you are trying to tell me that is it? That I could travel back to Japan today and live a normal life free from guilt? I don't believe you."

"If going back to Japan was what you wanted, yes. Though I must admit that it would be nice to have a brother again." Genji squeezed his brother's shoulder before standing up. "Look, I'm not asking you to believe what I just said, at least not immediately. The man in the story tried to repay his debts for a while afterwards, too, until he finally realized there was nothing left to repay. All I want is for you to know the truth, and the truth is what I just told you. Take some time to think about it, okay?"

"Real life doesn't work like this." Hanzo spit angrily. "Real life is not some fairy tale where everyone is forgiven and we all go home happily. My hands are stained with blood that is not my own."

All that bitter response got from Genji was a shrug. "Then maybe this is a dream. Because in this reality, the one we exist in right now, you are forgiven, and that is just how it works." With that, the cyborg left the room, closing the door gently behind himself and leaving an angry, confused Hanzo in his wake.

Angela lifted an eyebrow as her companion walked into the kitchen, where she was leaning on the counter. "So?"

"He may need some time to think about everything I just dumped on him." He shrugged once more, like what just happened hadn't been serious at all. "In the meantime, weren't we going to go out for lunch today?"

The doctor's response was more than a little incredulous. "You're suggesting we leave him here? Alone, in my house? I mean, I didn't mind his company but that's a little much."

"Just lock the door to your lab and your room."

Angela thought about it for a second before sighing. "Fine. You are lucky that I'm very hungry right now."

"When are you not?" came the snarky response as the doctor made her way to her lab. Genji could practically hear her rolling her eyes, though she refused to dignify him with a response.

This had been a weird day. Genji wasn't quite sure if it was a good type of weird or not. But it had certainly been strange up to that point.

* * *

 **Now, people have a lot of thoughts about how Hanzo and Angela would get along. Mine is a pretty rare one to be perfectly honest. Most people hold to the idea that Angela would hate Hanzo for what he did, but I personally think that Angela would simply be wary of him for a very short amount of time before becoming cautiously optimistic at Hanzo's chances at change. After all, I believe that Angela would do anything if it would make Genji's life better. And if reconciling the brothers' relationship would make him happier, she would be on board in a flash.**

 **After all, she believes in miracles and second chances, why does Hanzo not deserve one too? c;**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry about the Christmas stuff being delayed, guys. I spent lots of time with my family over the holidays. My grandpa has Alzheimer's, and we aren't sure how many more Christmases he will be here for. The Christmas chapter is probably going to be the one after this one because I'm trying to make timelines realistic and it's like 4 months before Christmas currently in this story (if you take into account when children's day is in Japan, since that's the day that "Dragons" happens, if you didn't know). As much as I like time skips, I had some stuff planned for those 4 months xD Though I'm going to try my best to get the next chapter up before I head back to school, maybe like a late Christmas present.**

 **You all have been super kind, by the way. I'm really, truly touched by all the nice things everyone has said. I'm just glad that I can give you some enjoyment. Lots of stuff in this life can be draining, frustrating, and unhappy. If I can put a little bit of happy and cute into everyone's life, then I'm doing my job c:**

* * *

When Angela and Genji came home from lunch that day, Hanzo was gone. Angela immediately noticed the cyborg's poor mood at their newfound discovery, and she encouraged him to wait before getting disappointed. Genji had poured a lot of life changing information on his brother, and it was only fair to give the man some time to process their exchange.

True to form, Angela was right. Hanzo was back within the same week, this time at a reasonable hour. He showed up while the pair were hanging out in the kitchen and living room, Genji making food for Angela while she sat on the couch, furiously typing something out on her laptop. The doctor noticed him first, hearing the front door creak open. Her head snapped up from her laptop to see the archer's face peering through the half-open door. She tilted her head, smiled slightly, and waved him in.

Hanzo didn't say a word as he walked in. He closed the door behind himself before making his way straight to Genji, falling on his knees in front of his younger brother, head hung low. Genji froze in shock, unsure what to say or do, before the man finally spoke. "I have come to beg for forgiveness, Genji…"

The cyborg shook off enough of the shock to respond, although Angela could tell that he was still tense. "We went over this, Hanzo. I-"

"I know." The archer stood up, brushing off his knees as he did so. The expression on his face was not one of fear, but of fierce determination. "And while I cannot accept what you expressed to me, I know one thing to be true. I want to start over. I want to…" he faltered for a moment, as if he had practiced what he was saying a thousand times over, yet it was still failing him when it actually counted.

"You want to try being brothers again?" The hope in Genji's eyes was unmistakable, and it made Angela's heart skip a beat. While the brothers' story was not hers, she still had a hand in allowing this moment to happen, and that alone meant the world to her. The archer nodded silently. Words had failed him, and genuine emotion was always hard to come by for him. Nodding was all that he could do. But it hardly mattered to Genji; his grin could have lit up the entire room. "So you're going to stay here, in Switzerland?" Hanzo nodded once more. "That's great! Do you need a place to stay?"

Hanzo finally regained his ability to speak, and the two began making arrangements as to where he would stay, albeit awkwardly. Angela smiled to herself, her presence completely forgotten in the other room, closed her laptop, and quietly made her way to her bedroom. They deserved some privacy; these were their moments, not her own. Later she would likely receive to get a detailed rundown from Genji of what happened regardless of whether or not she stayed.

She flopped down on her bed, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds before rolling onto her side and rummaging through the drawer in her side table. Before Overwatch fell apart she had managed to steal Genji's file from among the thousands at the base; it wasn't like anyone ever needed to use the information in it after he left. It might have been a little strange to do so, but among the many papers there was something important to her.

Turning onto her back again, she opened the manila folder and let the contents tumble all over her. She folded the medical records and background papers and put them back in their places, finally finding what she had been looking for after putting away all of the useless paper.

And there it was, the only physical picture she had of Genji before his accident. She set the folder aside and held the small square above her face, running her thumb back and forth over the corner of the photo as she did so. She didn't pull this out frequently, because more often than not it simply made her depressed. As stupid as she knew her thoughts were, she still held guilt over all that her friend had lost. She too had lost a lot in her time, and she wished the same fate on no one, especially not her best friend. Not only that, but she cared for Genji as he was now, not as he was in this picture. She never knew the Genji that she saw in the picture; the Genji in this photo held no place in her heart. Never did she want to fall into a trap of mistaking the two for each other; as far as she was concerned, they were two entirely different people. He had changed enough over the years to warrant a complete reset of any sins he might have committed as the Genji currently pressed against her palm.

However, despite all of that, at times like this the picture made her smile. She couldn't help but wonder what the pair speaking just outside her door were like when they had really, truly been brothers. She knew Hanzo had not always been corrupted by the elders in charge of him; hell, the elders hadn't always had control, not until their father passed away. What would it have been like to see this young Genji laughing with a Hanzo that was just as young? Could she even imagine Hanzo genuinely laughing, unburdened by nine years of guilt and torment?

She clutched the picture in both hands and held it against her chest, sighing as she closed her eyes and imagined. She had seen the beautiful cherry blossoms of Hanamura first hand; she had been the one that had opened that beauty up to the public when the feared yakuza fell apart at her hands. She placed the Genji held tightly in her hands into those moments, when every tree was pink and beautiful. Then she tried to imagine Hanzo with him. It was hard, because she didn't particularly know what Hanzo looked like as a young adult. Some day she would have to ask either Winston or Athena for his file; she was sure that he must have one. For now, she imagined his face much softer, without the hard lines of age and grief etched into every inch of skin. Without those or the gray in his hair, he almost seemed like he could have been a real child at one point. That Hanzo could have had crushes and friends. That Hanzo could have laughed.

That was what she imagined next: the two of them laughing. She had no idea what they were laughing about; perhaps the two had just played a prank on one of the more cranky elders. It didn't particularly matter. All that mattered was that they were laughing, and it was wonderful. A couple rogue tears rolled out of her eyes as she simply thought. God, she _wanted_ that for Genji. She wanted it to happen again, whether it had happened in the first place or not. Maybe the two had never laughed together like she was imagining, but even if the first time it had ever occurred was in her imagination, she would do everything she could to make it happen again.

She opened her eyes, breaking the scene in her own imagination, but she refused to let it leave her head. She'd keep a piece of it with her until she found a way. The picture found its way back into her field of view, and she lifted it up to look at it once more. This time, a familiar pang of guilt came with the image. What would have happened if she had been able to save him properly? How much easier would it have been to mend their relationship? How long ago would Genji have been able to go to his brother with forgiveness in his heart?

She let out a deep sigh, placing the picture back against her chest as she stared up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry…" she breathed out, a few tears crawling out of the corners of her eyes without her permission. "I'll find a way to fix this for you. I swear on my life that I will fix the problems I created."

With that, she swiped at her eyes with the back of one of her hands, placing the picture back inside the folder with the other. In another moment the entire folder was back in the bottom of the drawer which was closed moments after. It may have been out of sight, but it was certainly not leaving her mind any time soon.

* * *

The mending of the brother's relationship could be described as anything but easy. Genji, while very clearly happy to get a chance to fix what had been broken for so very long, had trouble acting normal whenever Hanzo was around, and Hanzo was far from being comfortable around his brother.

Angela took it upon herself to be the catalyst for their reconciliation. She did everything in her power to make Hanzo feel included. Occasionally she would invite the archer to join in on one of their outings, especially if they went to lunch. She discovered quickly that the man shared her enjoyment of older books and movies, so she used that to try to become friends with him. She figured that if she could be friends with both brothers, they might become closer as a result. Having something in common with someone else always made it easier to get to know them; she took it upon herself to be that something.

It became a common occurrence that whenever Angela would force Genji to watch some cheesy old movie with her that Hanzo would also be invited. The first few times were extremely awkward. Angela was the only one who really wanted to be there, and it was obvious. To the cyborg, it felt as if his brother were intruding on quality time with Angela, and Hanzo felt distinctly unwelcome by his brother. Angela, however, refused to have any part in their sour attitudes. She commented on the movie's plot holes like she would have any other day, and she laughed loudly at every instance of terrible CGI.

After a few movie nights, Genji became comfortable. He forced himself to forget that Hanzo was there and just spent time with his doctor like he normally would have. It took a few weeks' worth of movies to get Hanzo to loosen up, but he came around eventually, too. Angela imagined that it was hard for anyone to do something they enjoyed while being sour the entire time. And while the brothers hardly interacted with each other in those moments, they both were happy to talk to her, which was all she had hoped for. Genji went back to allowing her to lean up against him as she double over with laughter, and she was free to discuss with Hanzo about the techniques film makers once used.

It wasn't a lot, but it was progress. She had managed to get the both of them in the same room while happy, and that was most definitely a win in her book.

However, the brothers would still never start conversations with each other. Angela tried to put them in every situation possible so that they would be together, but from what she experienced they hardly spoke to each other. The only exception was when she spoke to the two of them about a subject they both found interesting, but even then they were mostly just talking to her.

In reality, she had done everything that she could to start them on the path of becoming friendly, and all she could do was wait for them to become comfortable around each other. She couldn't force them to do that; it would have to happen naturally, and all she could hope was that it happened quickly.

Really, with all of the work Angela had put into fixing the pair's relationship, it was inevitable that one day it would happen. That day finally came on what was a notably starry night. Angela had planned to go stargazing, just for fun, and had invited both brothers to join her. Both had accepted, as Genji almost never said no to his precious doctor, and Hanzo felt that it would be unkind to refuse.

"You guys are going to love this," the doctor mumbled from beneath a fluffy scarf. Her smile was hidden from sight, but there was no mistaking it in her voice. "My parents used to take me to this spot on clear nights when there was no omnic conflict going on. It's breathtaking."

Angela had insisted that the trio walk to their destination. It wasn't far from her home, and since the point of the night was to stargaze, they might as well do some of that on the way there, too. The only con to this idea was how cold nights could get sometimes. She had no idea how Hanzo was still in the ridiculous outfit he almost always wore, which barely covered his torso. He simply had to be freezing.

After a while of walking punctured only by Angela's excited bursts of energy, she finally reached her destination. "We're here! Can't you people act the least bit excited? C'mon!"

Genji laughed at the pout on her face, ruffling her hair before grabbing her hand. "I am excited. You just can't see it."

"That is not true. You carry yourself differently when you're thinking than when you're excited. You can't hide that from me, and you know it." Despite her frustration, the doctor smiled. "Just follow me. I promise that you'll like this. Am I ever wrong?"

"No, dear, you could _never_ be wrong." Genji retorted, sarcasm drenching his voice. All three of them chuckled at that, Angela dragging Genji by the hand towards her favorite spot as Hanzo followed a few steps behind.

Finally she saw exactly what she had been looking for. It was a lake, half surrounded by a waist high wooden fence. On the lake was a small dock with a gazebo-like structure at the end, surrounded by the water. She laughed as she let go of Genji's hand and sprinted towards that dock, skidding to a halt at the point furthest out over the lake.

The two men exchanged a confused look before jogging to catch up with her. Genji caught up first. "Uh, Angela? Is this all there is?"

The doctor laughed and shook her head. "For heaven's sake, open up your eyes." She reached up and grabbed the sides of Genji's head, clicking the face plate off with a few swift movements of her fingers. She held the piece of metal close to her chest with one hand, sweeping the other behind her. "Just look."

It only took Genji a few seconds to understand what she meant. He was immediately filled with the same sense of childlike wonder the doctor had been absorbed in the entire night. Overhead sat what felt like a million stars, completely free from any of the light pollution of cities. But more incredible was the lake itself. It was like the water had hardened, turning into a mirror of silver liquid. The glow from each individual star reflected off of the surface. The water itself seemed to shine with its own light, as if the sky was a reflection of it and not the other way around.

The cyborg stepped up to the edge of the gazebo and leaned against the fence, peering at the water. All he could do was breathe a quiet, "Wow," as he stared at the glittering surface. His brother joined him at the fence only seconds later, offering the same reaction. What else could they do? It was breathtaking.

Angela smiled from behind the pair before standing next to Genji. She leaned over the water, closed her eyes, and simply breathed. A stray gust of wind picked up her scarf and hair, causing both to gently sway behind her. She couldn't imagine anything more picturesque if she tried.

Eventually, she opened her eyes, blue orbs taking in the glowing lake. She failed to notice that both brothers were watching her, Genji doing so with a smile of complete admiration and awe on his face. "I haven't been back here in years." She muttered with a wistful sigh, eyes trailing over every detail of the pond. She bent down, reaching through the bars of the fence as she did so, touching the water and causing the glassy surface to ripple. "There were too many memories, and it almost felt like I would spoil them if I came back. I wanted to leave this place as something that had happened once, perhaps even in a dream. It was something that my parents and I shared that in my head no one else deserved to see. It was a spot for my family, and my family only."

She stood back up, smiling to herself. "But I realized the other day that perhaps I had more people to share it with than I at first thought." She placed her hand back into Genji's and squeezed. "I never again want to risk losing someone without bringing them here first, because I want to have a memory like this to go back to if I ever need it." She hadn't said it, but the implication of what she meant hung around the three all the same. They were her family, at least Genji certainly was, and if Genji was, then his brother had to be by extension.

She squeezed Genji's hand one more time before letting go, gesturing back towards the field behind them. "I'm going to go just look at the stars. You guys come join me if you ever feel like it."

With that, Angela was off, lying in the grass, transfixed by the stars. The two brothers were alone and without their mutual friend.

Genji checked over his shoulder, making sure that the doctor was far enough away that she wouldn't be able to hear them. When he was satisfied, he smiled and turned back to the lake, eyes glassed over in thought. "I really love her."

The man beside him offered a half-grin. "I don't blame you; she is an incredible person. You should tell her that."

"That she's incredible or that I love her?" Genji asked with a smile. The archer sighed in dismay; they both knew what he meant, and Genji was simply being difficult. "I tell her the first quite often, but I don't think that the second is worth it. I'm more than happy just being her friend. I don't think much in this world could make me happier."

The two fell into silence for a few minutes, but for the first time in months it was not an awkward silence. They were both too awestruck to have the capacity for being uncomfortable, by both the scene and the woman who had brought them there. Genji was the first to do something, although it was not speak. He opened and closed his palm a few times before finally uncurling his fingers fully, a small green dragon unraveling from between the metal digits. It couldn't have been larger than a small dog in this form. The creature swirled around his hand for a few moments before it left him, deciding instead to float along the surface of the lake. It was so small that at most distances it was hard to tell what it was. It just seemed to be a floating ball of green light, passing back and forth over the surface of the water.

"I have always been jealous of that, you know." Hanzo commented after watching the small dragon enjoy itself for a few moments.

The corners of Genji's mouth titled up in a smile. He nodded slightly. "I know." They stood quietly for a few more seconds watching the creature before Genji spoke again. "Angela doesn't know about him, oddly enough."

Hanzo practically jumped back in shock. "How is that possible? He is just an extension of yourself, and you two spend so much time together."

The dragon made its way back to Genji, curling up in his outstretched palm. "For the first two years that I knew her I was ashamed of him. He was just something that tied me to the Shimada clan, and I wanted nothing to do with our family. Even then, he almost escaped a few times, simply because he is so protective of her. There was one time in particular that I remember him almost escaping of his own free will when Angela almost died on a field mission. It is sometimes so strange to me that he has his own personality when he is just another part of me." He returned his gaze to the water, seemingly forgetting about the dragon for a few moments. "When I spent time in Nepal and learned to be at peace with my past I also learned to accept him. But I haven't needed to use him since I came back, and with the state Angela has been in recently I feel like she doesn't need any surprises." He closed his hand, causing the small thing to fade away into a green vapor before disappearing altogether. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her about them. I'd like to be the one to do it."

Hanzo nodded. "I can do that." The archer stood thoughtfully a moment before continuing. "Father used to tell us stories about how our guardians would let us know when we found the person we were meant to spend our lives with, that they would know before we ever could. Did you ever believe it?"

"I would like to think he was right, because it means that I found her already." Genji turned his head around and looked at Angela, who was still contentedly watching the glittering stars above them. "I'm not sure though. Even if it is true, I wonder if stifling mine for so many years would have affected its judgement. We have both done things in our past that could interrupt our connection to our guardians."

Silence fell over the two once more, wrapping the two of them like a thick, comfortable blanket. Eventually, Genji smiled and sighed. "I think I'm going to go join Angela. Would you like to come with me?" Hanzo nodded and the two made their way to where the doctor lay. She only noticed them once Genji was already lying next to her, but she immediately noticed that something was different. No longer was there that suffocating feeling of frustration and distrust surrounding the brothers; they had an air of contentedness about them, and all she could do was smile. Something important had happened, and while she didn't know what, she couldn't have been happier for it.

She immediately laced her fingers through Genji's and excitedly began pointing out stars with the other hand. Genji laughed immediately at her enthusiasm, and, after a few moments, Hanzo joined in. A secretive smile crossed her lips as she closed her eyes for a few seconds, just listening. She could only hope that before long they would be able to laugh together without needing her to be there. They deserved to be just like this all the time, perfectly reconciled and simply happy. Everyone, especially people like the three of them, deserved at least a little bit of laughter in their lives.

Because, after all that she had been through, she knew that family much was too important to be taken for granted.


	13. Chapter 13

**Bet you all thought I was dead, huh?**

 **Nah, I just wrote a 14,000 word chapter, and debated for months on whether or not I liked where those events occurred in my timeline before deleting it because I wasn't happy with it. As you can imagine, that's a pretty big damper on productivity and motivation.  
Hopefully you guys like the content of this chapter enough to make up for it *wink wink nudge nudge*  
Also, this story is intended to be a chronicle of basically the entirety of Gency's relationship. So I'll keep updating (however frequently) until then.**

After that night, the brother's relationship improved drastically. Every day that passed Angela got to experience another moment of her new family being happy together. At first, the occasions were small things. The two brothers would share a small moment or act agreeable in each other's presence. It escalated from there into shared jokes and laughs, and every once in a while she'd exit her lab to find the two of them engaged in an enthusiastic conversation. It always brought a small grin to her face because now her small family was, in her eyes, completely perfect.

She should have known that everything wouldn't stay that way for long.

She first suspected that something was wrong when she got a call from Winston for the first time in years. In the shower at the time, her phone had been turned off, so it had gone straight to her voicemail, and the scientist hadn't bothered to leave a message. When she tried to call back, no one responded.

It wasn't long before another call came, which she answered immediately. "Winston? Is that you?"

" _It is."_ Her face curled into a grimace instinctively at the familiar voice, even if it the sound was marred slightly by static. As much as she loved Winston, he too had left her in her hour of need after Overwatch's trial. This was the first time she had heard from him since that day. _"Angela, I need to know, are you safe?"_

What an unsettling question that was. "I… I believe so? Why do you ask?"

" _I've been staying in the old watch point at Gibraltar since Overwatch disbanded. It had been completely undisturbed until a few days ago when I was attacked Talon."_ The very name of the terrorist organization commanded a moment of silence from the pair before the gorilla began speaking once more. _"My main assailant was Reaper, the man who has been causing most of the trouble you see on the news. He… he is more unsettling in person than any media can describe. He moves in this unnatural cloud of smoke. It's truly terrifying."_

"I'm glad you're okay, Winston, but what does this have to do with me?"

" _Talon was trying to download my computer database for Overwatch agents' locations. I managed to destroy the main device they used, but he might have seen some information while he was hacking into Athena. I decided to recall all agents. We can't sit by any longer, and we probably won't be safe if we do."_

Her mouth went dry. "That's illegal. The PETRAS act disbanded Overwatch. I was there when it happened. How could you do something that could get all of us arrested?"

" _Mercy, I understand that you lost a lot to this organization. But haven't you seen the news? The world needs us."_

"No, you need the world. I'm not about to get wrapped up in some illegal business just because you want to go back to our glory days. The police can handle this. We don't need to get involved."

" _You already are involved, Angela. You can't ignore this."_

"Watch me." With that, she hung up, anger coursing through her veins. She looked at the door that connected her lab to the living room, where Genji and Hanzo were probably talking. Her family was just starting to form. She hadn't had a functioning family since Ana died, and she wasn't about to lose everything she had worked for over the past few years on one of Winston's heroic whims. She owed him nothing, especially not after how he had treated her.

That didn't stop her heart from quietly aching at losing the potential of rekindling some of the relationships from her past. She truly did love her old coworkers, but there was no way to convince herself that Winston's idea was a good one. In fact, there was a high probability that all of his worries had no foundation in reality. What was the chance that Talon wanted information of a long dead organization's members? What could they possibly do with that data? No, the attack at Gibraltar must have just been an isolated occurrence, an anomaly in the system. They probably wanted something else from Athena.

Even though she had thoroughly convinced herself that Winston was lying, that there was nothing to worry about, she couldn't stop the pounding in her chest or the ringing in her ears as she made her way out of her room. Hanzo and Genji were sitting in the living room, chatting amiably about something. She couldn't tell what they were saying and didn't particularly care, because just the sight of the two of them almost made her cry. By calling her, Winston was threatening to tear apart something she had worked so hard for. This fragile happiness was the one thing she could call her own. How dare he try to put her family in danger?

She stumbled over to the couch where Genji was and crashed onto the cushion next to him, burying her face in the plating on his neck as she did so. The cyborg jumped in slight surprise, chuckling fondly as he ran fingers through her hair. "Angela? You okay, or are you just tired?"

"Winston called." That got Genji's attention immediately. Even Hanzo, who didn't understand what those words entailed, stilled immediately at the gravity in the doctor's tone. "He's trying to recall Overwatch. He actually thought I would agree that it was a good idea." There was obvious venom in Angela's tone, so much so that it almost surprised her and certainly surprised the other two.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him to leave us alone. There is no way that reforming that organization is a good idea. There was so much that I lost, and I'm not willing to lose anything more. Maybe that's selfish of me, but I don't care. I would sooner die than allow for the possibility that both of you might get swallowed and hurt by my ridiculous past choices."

Hanzo coughed awkwardly, drawing her attention. "Excuse me, but I'm not sure I understand the gravity of the situation. Would you mind filling me in?"

A long sigh left the girl's lips as she pulled herself away from the cyborg and sat properly on the couch. "I suppose that would only be fair. You know the basics of my relationship with the organization, but what you might not know is that I lost much of my life's work, three people who had practically adopted me as their daughter, and so many friends and colleagues to Overwatch. To top it all off, any activity by previous members under the organization's name is strictly illegal. I was there when the PETRAS Act was signed into law. It would take more than a terrorist attacking the base in Gibraltar to make me rejoin."

Genji's eyebrows raised in curiosity. "A terrorist attack? You failed to mention that."

"You've heard of Talon and Reaper. They attacked Winston and he thinks they're going to target other old agents. But honestly, I think he's being ridiculous and irrational. They probably just wanted some information Athena had stored on her. I'm sure someone was developing some secret weapon back in the day, and it wouldn't surprise me if they were interested in it. So it's just that stupid scientist making irrational decisions and trying to ruin my world by dragging me into those decisions. And I'll have you know that I am having none of that. The only way I'm interacting with Overwatch again is if something dramatic happens or if I get called to court to testify against them."

"Aren't you worried about them, though?" Genji asked quietly from next to her. "I know how dearly you loved them all. Surely there would be no better hands to tend their wounds than yours?"

A tinkling laugh echoed throughout the room as Angela turned to face the cyborg, gently placing her hands on the side of his face, making him face her. She smiled for a moment, one of her thumbs running over scarred skin as her finger's warmth melted into the cool metal on the sides of his head. "In this life, there is no higher priority for me than you. I know that it's crazy, but I would sacrifice every person I knew back then just to keep you safe and by my side. That's just the honest truth, and I wouldn't change it for the world."

Genji closed his eyes for a second, leaning into her hand. "If that classifies as crazy, then I suppose I've gone insane too. I would do the same."

Angela smiled before letting go of his face and standing up. "I'm glad we're in agreement, then. Until all hell breaks loose, we won't be joining." She glanced at Hanzo. "I assume you agree with this decision?"

The archer shrugged. "I will follow my brother in whatever he chooses, but I believe with great certainty that following your lead is a wise decision on his end."

Despite the confidence that each member of the conversation displayed when walking away from their talk, all three had a small sense of unease that simply failed to go away. They had chosen their path, but at what cost? What pieces of the machine of fate had been set into motion that were out of their control? None of them knew, and that was truly unsettling.

* * *

The next few weeks passed by with relative ease. Life fell back into its usual rhythm, and the Winston incident, as Angela had nicknamed it, seemed to disappear from relevance altogether. Her small family developed a constancy to it almost like a heartbeat. Genji would arrive at her house sometime between the crack of dawn and when she woke up. Sometimes they'd meditate together, and sometimes they would just talk while Angela made herself breakfast. Hanzo normally arrived sometime around lunch. He and Genji would talk while the doctor tinkered in her lab. Normally Hanzo stayed at least for dinner, and Genji always left late into the night if he didn't just crash in her guest room. Occasionally they'd go out and do something as a group, like watch a movie or visit a park – the one with the beautiful lake was everyone's favorite.

After Genji left, he would always exchange a few messages with Angela before she crashed. That was what she was doing that night, just as always. She had stepped out of the shower moments before, toweling her hair drying as she pulled on a shirt and sleep shorts. Her phone had been buzzing angrily at her from the sink's counter almost since she had stepped in, since she no longer turned it off while showering in case someone important called, and it was equally parts endearing and annoying.

The message was simple and sweet, just like always. It had never varied from something along the lines of "Have a good night," or, "If you have any nightmares, call me, okay?" Even so, they never failed to bring a smile to her face.

She was in the middle of typing a reply when something out of the ordinary occurred. A loud crashing sound came from the direction of her front door, and her pulse quickened almost instantly. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as the sense that something was distinctly _wrong_ with the situation invaded her mind.

It was probably Hanzo or Genji, but she had never known them to come over so late uninvited, excluding the first time she had met the older Shimada. While it was probably them, she decided not to take a chance in case it wasn't. Making a split second decision, she turned the water back on in her shower, before stepping out of the room. She reached around for the inside of the doorknob and locked it before shutting the door, effectively locking out anyone that didn't know about the spare key in her bedside drawer.

With that taken care of and providing what would be enough of a distraction for her to assess the situation, she tiptoed her way into the bedroom across the hallway, finding her pistol in her bedside drawer before climbing into her closet. She could just barely see out from underneath the door, so all there was to do now was watch and wait.

Minutes crawled by like that, with her cheek pressed into the floor, listening for more noises or trying to see something in the dark. She was about to leave her hiding spot when something confusing happened. She heard no noise from her front door, which had rusted hinges that produced quite the squeak when opened nowadays, but there were clearly footsteps echoing through her home. There had been no windows shattering, no doors breaking down, and no squeaky doors opening. It had simply been silent until the footsteps began.

Her heart began thumping furiously in her chest. _'Something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.'_ She realized with a curse that her phone was still on the counter in the bathroom, message to Genji still half-typed. _'Those three dots that say I'm typing are probably driving him crazy.'_ She almost chuckled at the thought, before realizing the gravity of her situation. There was someone in her house who was definitely not Hanzo or Genji, and she had no way of contacting either of them. The mystery person either wanted her or her research, and all she had to defend herself was a measly peashooter. Things were not looking good.

Suddenly, she heard the person knocking, presumably on the bathroom door. The voice that came out next felt faintly familiar, but more than that it was painful to listen to. It was like someone had driven knives into the vocal chords of the speaker, as if they had been meant never to speak again but somehow did. "Mercy, come out before I break this door down."

So they were after her. A few moments ago she had been willing to barter away some of her research, but that wasn't going to be an option, it seemed. It was also very clearly a man, which meant there was a higher likelihood that they would be harder to overpower. The situation was getting worse and worse.

Surprisingly, the man waited a few minutes before saying anything more. "Fine. I'm coming in, but you had better be clothed." The last bit of the sentence was spoken as a grumble, like he was _annoyed_ with her. She only had a moment to consider this before the sound of wood violently splintering filled her ears. It was lucky that the noise completely covered her gasp, because for some reason she had simply not expected that. The man had gotten into her home almost as if by magic, and it was a logical assumption to think that he would do it again. That brought up another worrying factor, though. There had clearly only been one set of footsteps that made its way down her hall, and the doors in her house were not made of cheap wood. That meant he was either incredibly strong, or he had some type of heavy weapon on him.

A dry laugh echoed through the home. "You clever, clever girl. Always were the smartest one of us, weren't you? But you can't hide forever." It vaguely occurred to her that she probably should have run at some point while he was distracted. But where would she have gone? She had no phone, her closest friend was Genji, who lived at least ten minutes away, and she wasn't exactly in great running condition. This person, whoever he was, felt like a hunter stalking essentially helpless prey. Without outside help, finding her would just be an inevitability for him. Not to mention the fact that he likely had a gun, so she probably wouldn't make it far if she did try to run.

She heard the water in her bathroom stop, followed by the sounds of different doors opening. It would only be a little while until he found her, considering how small her home was. If this bedroom was the very last place he looked, there were still only four minutes tops to think out a strategy.

But even her brilliant mind was having trouble coming up with a way out of this. She had practically cornered herself in her own home. The only ways out were to talk or to fight. The former seemed like a much more viable option, so she tried to run through different scenarios in her head of things she could offer the mystery man. What could he possibly want? Perhaps someone close to him had died under her care, and this was his way of getting revenge on her. That would mean there was no way out for her, so a worst case scenario. At least she had her own gun, in case things got bad. She would kill herself before she let someone torture and then kill her.

There were only so many precious moments of worrying she had before the footsteps inevitably sounded from within her own room. "There is no place else you could be, little angel. Why don't you come out and make this easier on the both of us?"

She took a deep breath. If talking was going to be her key way out of this, it would help to be as compliant as possible. Steadying herself, she held her pistol in one hand and opened the door with the other.

She wasn't prepared for what faced her. Instead of a person, a dark cloud flooded the room, surrounding what seemed to be the vague form of a human. As soon as she stepped out of the closet the cloud surrounded her up to her knees, and recognition dawned upon her. This was the Reaper that news outlets constantly reported on. Everything Winston told her nearly a month ago crashed through her head at unbelievable speed, and the true gravity of her situation hit her as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to her chest. Despite all of this, something about the cloud felt almost familiar. There was a sense of comfort that it brought her, which was terrifying, considering the cloud was an international terrorist that had killed thousands.

Somehow, in spite of the terror that filled her, and perhaps even because of it, her voice remained steady as she spoke to the center, where the man appeared to be. "What do you want from me, Reaper?"

"Ah, so you came willingly. Such a smart girl." Slowly, the mist was drawn to its source, coalescing into a man in a black coat with a skull-like mask covering every defining feature. The man seemed to look at her appraisingly, before nodding. She could almost feel the fact that he was smirking.

"You have me where you want me. Now what do you want?" She asked again, this time through gritted teeth. Bargaining with a serial killer was more than she had mentally prepared for.

The man shook his head seemingly disappointed. "You know, you could at least great me with a little friendliness. It has been so long since we've seen each other." He laughed at the surprised look in her eyes, the sound unpleasant and painful. "In fact, I think the last time you saw me, I was dead. Isn't that right, Angie?"

Angela practically jumped at the nickname she hadn't heard in years, stumbling back away from the figure in the middle of the room until her back was pressed against the wall. Things clicked into place at an incredible speed, but it just seemed impossible. The nickname, the smoke, the voice, the familiarity, everything made sense in only one context. It seemed unbelievable, but she had once heard that if every other option has been exhausted, the final choice, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

Tears filled the corners of her eyes and she lifted her hand to her mouth to try to muffle a choked noise her throat was making. "Gabe?"

The same terrible laughter filled her ears. "The one and only. Although I haven't heard that name in years." With a flick of his wrist he pulled off his mask, revealing his face. Or rather, what was left of it. Pieces of his skin seemed to be falling apart and decaying as she watched, only to mend in a matter of seconds. "Terrifying, right? Imagine how much it hurts."

It took her a few seconds of staring blankly at his cheeks before she locked eyes with him. His irises had almost completely grayed, only barely distinct from the whites of his eyes. For the first time that night, her voice faltered. "I-I did this… didn't I?"

"Only someone with the ability to create such beautiful miracles could also create such a monster, Angie." She broke down then, no longer bothering to save her pride by holding back tears. The implications of what he said settled in heavy on her chest. She had done this to him, and in doing so had allowed him to kill thousands of people and head up a massive terrorist organization. Talon was her fault. The attack on Gibraltar was her fault. Everything was a direct result of her own selfish desire to keep her father figure alive. In that moment, she no longer cared about whether or not she survived through the night. In her eyes, she deserved death.

The Reaper slowly moved over to where she had crumbled onto the floor. "If it makes you feel any better, I hated you for about a year, but I no longer blame you."

"How?" That seemed completely inconceivable to her. She had tried to revive him with this being the result; how could it possibly be anyone else's fault?

"Because I found out the full reality of what happened that night, something not even you could know but influenced you behind the scenes. You were nothing more than a puppet in a game bigger than yourself, and child mourning her parents and doing anything to get them back. No, who I really blame is Morrison, and to an extent, Amari."

That caused Angela to laugh bitterly. "Now you're just being ridiculous. How could you possibly find fault in the dead for the actions I took after their deaths?"

Gabe crouched down in front of the girl, so they were looking into each other's eyes again. "Simple. They're not dead."

That statement was met with yet another dry laugh. "You know, if you're going to mess around with me this much before you kill me I might just do it myself before you get the chance."

"But I'm not lying. What reason would I have to lie about this? Out of the three of us, I was the only one that ever died. Morrison escaped after the explosion, hiding in the woods like a coward as he healed. And do you know the worst part?" Gabe paused for a moment, as if for dramatic effect. "He watched you crying over my dead body. He saw our daughter broken and destroyed and he sat by and watched, not bothering to stop you from doing something drastic. While I was a fucking cloud, in immense pain and unable to even form my own limbs for months, while I was a silent spectator to everything that happened, he sat by and watched Overwatch fall apart, you along with it. Amari is only mildly better. She at least wasn't present when the base blew up. But she too sat as a spectator for the destruction of everything the strike team had worked for."

"How do you know this?" She sounded incredulous, but something strange inside of her said that he was telling the truth.

"Because I saw some of it. The rest I asked Morrison, between shotgun shots, and he told me. I asked him how he survived and he said that he was there for the whole thing, watching the Reaper's creation unfold before his eyes. And I realized then that I would do anything I could to tear every remnant of Overwatch to the ground. I would set fire to his life's work and watch it burn. Hell, I would dance in its ashes before kicking them back up into his face. And I want your help."

"You… you want me to help… destroy Overwatch?"

"Yes. Join Talon, Angie. If I had been in Morrison's situation, I never would have left you alone to fall apart simply because I had some vague notion that the world would be better off without me. You'll never have to be alone again." Gabe smiled kindly at her, before standing up and offering her a hand to help her up. "I saw the work you have downstairs. You could create so many brilliant things to help us destroy those that hurt us. No one in the world cares about you like I do."

She paused for a second, almost reaching for his hand before flinching back. "No, you're wrong. Genji-"

"Don't tell me you think that cyborg piece of trash actually cares about you?!" Angela flinched at the sudden yelling. "He's just using you. He doesn't actually love you, or he wouldn't have left you. In fact, we can start with him. Tell me where he lives and we can tear the place apart. Torture him to make up for every second of those five years."

A small, sad smile crossed the doctor's face. "You're right; I don't know if he loves me. But I love him so dearly. He is my everything, the only reason that I can face each day. Though I doubt it, perhaps I am being used, but what of it? I would gladly give my life if it saved him a few days." She looked up at the man now looming above her, her small smile forming into a wide grin, realizing that Genji had indirectly saved her from making an incredibly stupid decision. "You made such a mistake by underestimating how I feel for him, Gabe. For a split second, I almost considered that maybe what you suggested isn't insane. But it is, and I decline your offer." With that, she stood up on her own, refusing his hand, now visibly shaking from what was likely anger. The fingers on her right hand closed tightly around her gun; she knew that she would be needing it now.

"You know, I truly hoped that you would see reason, Angie. I really did. You always were my brilliant daughter."

Angela reached up with her left hand, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "I'm sorry, Gabe. You were a father to me for longer than my blood relations were." With that, the shotgun was aimed at her forehead, and she only just managed to jump out of the way before the sound of cracking sheetrock filled the air.

The only thing she could do was dodge. She ducked and weaved below shotgun shells aimed for her legs, her torso, her head, eventually stumbling out of the door to her bedroom and slamming it to buy a few precious seconds of time, taking shots with her own gun behind her at every chance.

Her best option was her living room, full of furniture to duck behind, so that was where she headed. Running into the street would probably be the worst mistake she could make; her house was pretty far from the nearest neighbor, and it wasn't surrounded by much foliage to hide behind. She'd be dead before she got twenty feet out. No, the only way to win this was through a fight.

As she ducked behind her sofa, half of her furniture already in the process of being destroyed, she realized just how impossible this fight would be to win. Gabriel Reyes was a trained assassin, built to destroy anything in his path. Added to that what she had done to him, and there was almost no stopping him. Entire task forces had been sent to destroy the Reaper and returned as bloody bodies, little to no life left in them. And here she was, trying to fight him off with only a pistol.

Perhaps it was hopeless, but she certainly wasn't going down without trying. For once, the idea of fighting filled her with comfort. She would let anyone who found her know that she had tried. Genji had to know that she had tried to stay with him.

With that in mind, she attempted a different strategy. Jumping out from behind her cover, she swept one foot under Gabe's legs, knocking him off balance and onto his back. She stumbled a little too, unused to the feeling of taking someone down like this. However, she had taken enough self-defense classes back in the day to be awful at it. Funnily enough, Gabe and Jack had been the ones to insist she attend.

The Reaper's eyes widened noticeably as his back hit the floor. Angela grinned, firing a few shots of her own towards his arms and face, the only places on his body that weren't covered in the thick black material of his outfit that was likely bulletproof. All of the shots aimed at his head missed, but a couple grazed the sides of his arms, causing blood much too black to be natural to seep out of the wounds.

However, Gabe inevitably got back up, and this time she no longer had surprise to back her up. She couldn't take him in a true hand to hand fight, and so she ended up using the strategy of hiding behind cover and throwing attacks at him as unpredictably as possible, taking shots whenever she could.

It worked rather well, but it came with a drawback. She was much more vulnerable when she was trying to fight back, and thus she had been grazed by some shotgun pellets herself. The sides of her loose t-shirt were ripped to shreds, and a few bullets had grazed through the skin there. Luckily, the immortality she hated so much was hard at work saving her life a hundred times over. With the extra adrenaline in her system, bullet wounds were closing only moments after forming. As long as the pellets weren't lodged in her flesh, the injuries closed over in a matter of seconds. For all Gabe knew, she was invincible.

Their battle continued for what must have only been a couple of minutes, but felt like an eternity. Each second brought incredible pain, miraculous healing following it in the next. However, it was only a matter of time before Angela made a mistake against such a formidable opponent. Her entire living room was in shreds, including the picture frames on the wall. In a single instant in which she wasn't paying perfect attention to where she stepped, and a large shard of glass from one of her pictures buried itself deep into her foot. She couldn't stop the scream that left her mouth as she stumbled, only barely managing to keep from falling face first into the floor by using her hands to break her fall. Her bones crackled ominously as she landed, her wrists groaning under having to unexpectedly support the full weight of her body.

She turned over in horror and looked at her injury. A piece of glass about the size of a large kitchen knife had sliced the bottom of her foot open from heel to toe. The gash was bleeding furiously, spewing red blood over what had once been a picture of her Overwatch family.

It only took one glance up at Gabe's face to know that she had lost. He was smirking down at her, examining the gash that was very, very slowly beginning to heal itself. He tilted his head curiously as he watched scar tissue form before their eyes. "You truly are remarkable. How does your body do that?"

There was no way she was giving him such important information. "It just does. I've yet to figure it out. I suppose now I never will."

Gabe paused for a moment, face contorted in thought, before he gave her a wicked smile. "I suppose I'm the antithesis of you, am I not? My body constantly decays, while yours seems to heal itself indefinitely. All you ever wanted to do was save the human race, while now I only want to watch every single one of them burn." His eyes twinkled, and it looked like he was trying to hold back laughter. "You know, you could still join us. Just tell me where the cyborg is."

And while he may have been holding back laughter, there was nothing keeping Angela from letting out a dry chuckle. "Never. Do me a favor; when he comes to avenge me, let him know that I love him. I never told him myself." Tears glittered in her eyes as the realization hit her hard. Genji might never know how much he meant to her. He would never know how every new second he spent with her was her greatest treasure. He would never know that, while he was not the source of her strength, he gave her a reason to stay strong.

"Goodbye, Angie. You put up a good fight." She closed her eyes as Gabe lifted one of his shotguns to her forehead. Perhaps death at the hands of the Reaper was her retribution for creating this monster, but she refused to look at him as she died. Instead, her thoughts were full of cold metal that was wonderful to cuddle up to and a brilliantly warm smile. Genji deserved the honor of being the last thing she thought of before she died; it was only right.

Death came like a roar, it seemed. She was shocked that she didn't feel any pain of shotgun shells, despite hearing the noise of the shot; it was almost as if they never came. A massive gust of winds blew across her skin as her ears nearly bled at just how loud and _angry_ death sounded. It was as if a massive beast was crawling around her, roaring at the top of it lungs. And it was odd, because she had always heard that it was a white light that came with passing away, but the light that burned through her eyelids was distinctively green.

She dared crack open an eyelid, deathly afraid of what the afterlife was like. However, neither heaven nor hell was what greeted her. Instead, an ethereal green… thing… grew and grew in front of her, separating her from Gabriel. It seemed to be the source of the rumbling and growling, each noise another menacing threat. She could somewhat see through its glowing green body, and the Reaper locked eyes with her for a moment. The mutual shock in both of their expressions was immediately apparent. Neither of them had any idea what was going on.

The beast grew larger and larger, its features defining as it did. Soon it was clear what exactly it was that stood between them – a dragon. A newly defined head roared, glittering green teeth barring at the Reaper. It was then that realized that this dragon seemed to be surrounding her in a protective manner; it had formed a half circle with its body around the pitiful form of the injured doctor pressed against the wall. She also could vaguely make out bluish green liquid forming a small puddle on the ground, a few shapes that vaguely resembled scales scattered among the ooze. It dawned on her that this dragon had likely taken the bullets meant for her, and she hesitantly reached out to touch it, as if to say thanks. Every inch of skin that came into contact with the scales radiated with a comforting warmth that almost made her melt on the spot. She could only describe it as feeling like home.

The creature glanced back at her, eyes harsh for a split second before melting in a soft expression. The beautiful teal orbs threatened to absorb her, before the dragon turned away, shaking her hand off as it did.

What happened next Angela couldn't say. Something happened between the dragon and Gabriel Reyes that caused the Reaper to go away. It was unlikely that he had died; she wasn't sure if he even could die. But the dragon seemed to fill the entire house with its power, expelling the monster from the room and likely causing him to disintegrate into a cloud for the time being.

Truth be told, she wasn't paying much attention. The adrenaline of fighting Gabe had finally begun to dissolve, and she was left alone to confront the information that she had learned that night.

She, indirectly, had killed thousands of people. She had created an unstoppable killing machine. All of Winston's recent problems and worries were real, and they had been created by her own choices. Gabe, Ana, and Jack were alive. They were all alive.

Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as that particular thought hit her. _They were alive._ How many nightmares had she had about her failure concerning those three? Was it even possible to count the number of tears she shed over their deaths? Could anyone quantify the utter despair she experienced as she felt responsible for their fates?

She was on the verge of a mental breakdown when the dragon caught her eye. It had become much smaller; instead of filling the entire room, it was about the size of an average person, and it was looking directly at her. Suddenly, it lunged straight at her, claws extended towards her chest.

It was only rational of her to expect immense pain, and there is no understating her surprise when the opposite happened. Instead of piercing her chest, the claws seemed to phase through her skin, causing a warm sensation to extend out from what should have been deep, horrifying gouges. There was no doubt that the claws were incredibly sharp; in fact, there seemed to be holes ripped in her shirt where each of them entered. However, they only brought warmth and that wonderful sense of home to her, flooding out from each of the incisions and into the rest of her body.

Their eyes locked once again, and this time Angela did sink into the liquid pools of teal. They were utterly mesmerizing, and she was unable to do anything about the way they captured her attention. Every time her thoughts started to wander to something that would break her down, another presence in her mind nudged her away, insisted that she stay right here and wait patiently. There was nothing else to do but comply, and so she waited. Eventually she reached out with one hand, placing it on the dragon's scales just like she had earlier. It was an odd feeling, like if she pressed too hard her hand might sink through what should be completely solid material. This time, the dragon didn't pull away, allowing her to pet it, still staring at her with what could only be describe as an undeniably fond expression.

What knocked her out of her daze was the slamming open of her front door. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she broke her gaze from that of the dragon's, and looked up to see what the disturbance was. Before she could even fully look up, Genji practically threw himself at her, the dragon moving out of the way before the cyborg crashed into the poor doctor, whose mind was still clearing from her trance like state.

He wrapped his arms around her so tightly that for a moment she worried that she might not be able to breathe, before she hugged him back just as tightly. Genji's voice wavered, broken by sobs, as he attempted speech. "I thought you had died. Angela, I thought I'd never see you again." He pulled out of the hug, holding her shoulders as he sobbed. "I love you. God, I love you so much. You almost died and you never would have known."

The doctor was beginning to tear up as well, the haziness of her head finally clearing. "It's okay, I-"

"NO IT'S NOT!" He yelled, shaking her shoulders slightly. "Don't you get it?! You mean fucking _everything_ to me, Angela Ziegler! Had Soba not realized something was wrong you would be lying dead right where you are!" The anger dissipated from his voice as another choked sob ran through him. "You would be dead and I never would have told you how much I love you. Do you have any idea what it's like to believe that your entire world could be gone with nothing you could do to save it?" Genji's face fell, his eyes dropping to the floor as his sobbing began again in earnest.

Angela let out a small sigh, grabbing the sides of his face and lifting it up to look at her. "Yes. Of course I do." Brown eyes locked with blue for a solitary moment before the doctor smiled fondly and leaned in, placing her lips on his.

It only took a moment for Genji to realize what was happening, and in that second he latched onto her like a lifeline, fingers grasping at the front of her shirt, hands balling up and refusing to let go. There were no fireworks and there were no sparks, only the taste of the tears falling down both of their cheeks. Their kiss was not deep, and it was not magical. In fact, it was broken by a bitter sob from at least one of them almost every other second. It was nothing more than two broken people, one physically and one mentally, that were completely in love, and that was what made it so beautiful. Every tragedy that had ever occurred to either of them had brought them to this one moment, and when later asked, both wouldn't hesitate for a second in saying that it was worth the pain. Being truly loved by someone that they loved back just as much was worth every moment of hurt.

 **Yeah I know, bad place to cut it off, but do you really want there to be any chance I might change my mind and write another draft? :P**


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry for the lack of updates. Been a hectic past couple of weeks; I started college (which was great), got broken up with (which was not so great) and then Hurricane Harvey was on top of me and my family (which straight up sucked). Needless to say, it has been a completely unique start of college for me, with a solar eclipse on my first day of classes and then a hurricane to end the week.**

 **Hope you enjoy the chapter c:**

* * *

There are moments in life that, even if they were to stretch for the entirety of their participants' existence, could never last long enough. The kiss between Genji and Angela was certainly one of those. It was a second that stretched for an eternity, because both of them knew that as soon as that precious moment faded, reality would crash back down on them. The way their lives would work from now until the end had been permanently changed by the events of the past few hours, and neither of them were quite ready to face it.

However, some things are just not meant to be ignored for long. The seconds fell apart from around them as Angela's eyes opened, noticing the state of her living room. Her precious collection of antique movies were scattered over the floor, DVDs scattered in shards from countless bullets. Her coffee table was nothing more than splinters, and she could hardly see her couch beneath the stuffing that had exploded from within it.

She pulled away with a wince, knowing that there was no retreating back into the cocoon of safety Genji had brought her. Her life was in shambles, and it needed to be addressed.

For a brief moment Genji looked hurt by her pulling away, before the look on her face brought him back to reality. They stared at each other for half a second in somber silence, neither knowing what to say first. How could you possibly start a conversation this important?

That silence was broken by a sad mewling sound from behind Genji. The green dragon, now about the size of Angela's arm, appeared from behind the cyborg to stare up at her with a similar look to the one that held her captive only a few minutes earlier, though the same effect did not take place. The creature didn't pause for more than an instant before it padded over to the doctor, curling into her lap almost like a cat would. A sense of comforting warmth that she was starting to recognize as this spirit's primary effect on her spread through her body, radiating from the portions of her legs and chest that came into contact with the creature.

Despite everything, a small smile crossed her face as she reached out to pet it. It leaned into her touch, purring slightly at the contact – definitely cat like. The words she was thinking hardly needed to be spoken, a quiet, _'Thank you for saving me,'_ communicated through every stroke of the dragon's head. Eventually, Angela glanced back up at Genji, whose smile was small but bright, asking the question she had been wondering since the dragon appeared, "What is it?"

Genji's smile turned softer as he reached out to stroke the creature's head. "His name is Soba. It's very hard to explain, but he is a part of me as well as my guardian. I wouldn't be complete without him, as he holds a piece of my soul, but I don't have control over him. He has his own mind and consciousness while still being a part of me, if that makes any sense. Everyone has something like him that is a part of them, but the ability to draw them out and make use of them is something entirely unique to the Shimada family. Also, we're the only family with dragons as our spirits."

Genji's smile faltered at that moment, shaking his head sadly as he continued speaking. "I hated him for so long, after what Hanzo did. He was a piece of me that undeniably tied me to the Shimada clan. That's why, until I met Zenyatta, I shut him out and pretended that he didn't exist." The smile came back then, a chuckle rumbling through his throat. Soba purred in unison. "Despite that, he was persistent. After he failed to save me from Hanzo, he felt as if he owed you a greater debt than could ever be repaid when you saved my life. You protected my life when he could not, and for that he may have fallen in love with you even faster than I did, if that is even possible. Every time you were in danger he fought to be free from me so he could save you. Do you remember that time I accidentally left you in Hanamura castle and I only saved you at the last second? I only knew to start looking because he was fighting so desperately to escape and come to your aid. That day was the closest he ever got to his freedom while I was suppressing him."

At that, Soba began nuzzling his head into Angela's hand, looking up at her with a gaze that seemed to say, _'He's telling the truth.'_ Which was silly, since Angela had never once thought to doubt her friend's – if they could still just be called friends – words. She looked back up at Genji and bit her lip as she digested the information, before coming up with a new question. "So is that why he came to save me?"

The cyborg nodded. "He sensed that something was wrong, and since I no longer restrain him he rushed to aid you. Not only was he saving your life, but he knew that saving you also meant saving me. I would be a wreck if something happened to you." He lifted his gaze from the dragon back to her face. "Speaking of which, Angela, what happened?"

Her eyes filled with tears immediately as her mind flooded with images that she had been suppressing since the dragon arrived, pictures of every face she had ever seen on the news as victims of the Reaper, and by extension victims of her own pride and selfishness. She looked back up at Genji, eyes wide, and mouth slightly agape as the shock and horror that hadn't had time to develop properly since the revelation of the Reaper's identity settled back into her. She had _killed_ them, all of them. Their blood was on her hands.

Genji immediately noticed and wrapped her into a hug. Soba yelped, jumping quickly out of the way to avoid being crushed before finding his way to her shoulders, wrapping around her in his own sort of embrace. Strong fingers found their way into her hair, running through the tangled blonde strands. "It's okay. You don't have to talk about it right now if you don't want to. But we need to talk about it soon, love."

The softly spoken nickname just brought on more terrible thoughts. Would Genji think the same of her if he knew what she knew, if he knew what she had done, however unintentional? She hated to doubt him; after all, he was the only person she had ever trusted with everything, lying only when she absolutely had to. But, just like with her recent experiments, this felt like a burden that she simply couldn't share with anyone, even him. It was a guilt she needed to shoulder alone.

"Winston was right. The Reaper came after me." Angela could feel Genji's body jolt with shock. "At first I heard someone outside, so I figured it was a regular thief. I turned the shower on to distract them, locked the bathroom door from the outside, and then hid in my bedroom closet with my pistol. The front and back doors didn't open, no windows shattered, but there were still footsteps inside my house. He fell for the bathroom trick, broke down that door before realizing that I had fooled him and beginning to search for me."

Angela had taken comfort in the fact that her words so far had been the truth, praying that no more questions followed. Her hopes were very promptly shattered. "What did he want?"

The doctor started trembling, at both the memories and the fact that half-truths would soon begin to flood her story. "He wanted me to join Talon. And in order to prove my allegiance, I had to lead him to you. Apparently I was one of the few agents that he had managed to get info on from Athena. As you can probably tell, I refused. I fought, simply because if I died I wanted you to know that I had tried to stay. I realized in the moments before I refused the Reaper's offer that I would never get to tell you how much I loved you. You were the one thing that anchored me when my own mind tried to tear me apart, and I would never get to tell you how much you mean to me. I had almost no hope that I would win, but I desperately hoped that you would realize how much I loved you by how hard I tried to stay with you." Now she was fully crying, because despite the partial lies, the last piece of her story was unbelievably real. She was alive now because she had fought so hard to tell Genji in some small way that she loved him, giving Soba enough time to save her.

"We can't stay, you know." Those words hit Angela hard, and she clutched tightly onto the person delivering the bad news to try to lessen the impact. "You only didn't rejoin Overwatch to try to keep us safe, but we aren't safe anymore. Until Talon is gone, we probably never will be. There is only one place where we'll have at least some protection." Genji pulled out of the hug, holding Angela's hands while giving her a kind but stern look. "You know that, right?"

Angela stared at her lap where their hands were joined, eyes somehow still pouring tears while managing to be almost entirely vacant. "I'll call Winston in the morning."

"I love you." The words were whispered softly, wrapping Angela in a comforting blanket that told her at least something was right in the world. "I love you and I'm proud of how strong you are. Despite what masks you sometimes put up, I know that you hurt more deeply than you let on. You've been through so much more than I have, and somehow you're stronger than I am despite it. God, I love you."

"I love you too." The words almost hurt, knowing how much she was hiding from him. It was all to protect him from her own mistakes, in the end.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Angela too lost in thought to form words and Genji not knowing what to say to break her out of it. Eventually, Soba tired of their nonsense and jumped from Angela's shoulders, nudging at her arm. She jumped in surprise before laughing and petting the small dragon's head. "You said everyone has one of these?"

The cyborg seemed utterly relieved at the new topic to jump on. "Indeed, though the only living dragons I know of are Hanzo and I."

"So I have one?"

"Of course." A mischievous grin made its way onto his face. "Would you like to see it?"

Her face lit up in excitement. "You can do that?"

"No, but Soba can. You want to?"

"Obviously."

Soba seemed to understand every word they were saying, a thrilled shiver coursing through his spine when Angela gave him the go ahead. Within an instant he was floating a few feet above the ground so that their faces were level, staring at her as if sizing her up for a fight.

That was all the warning she received before he dived straight towards her chest, seamlessly flowing through her skin. The warmth that sunk into her was indescribable; it was as if someone had lit a flame in her stomach, all of the heat and fire with none of the pain. It was only a few seconds before Soba reappeared, and the warmth left, replaced with an oddly empty feeling. Clutched in his claws were wisps of color, light yellow and gold hues shifting before forming into something more corporeal. A minute barely passed before a small golden phoenix fluttered above their heads, blinking down upon the three with confusion.

It made a gentle cooing noise before flapping down into Angela's lap, tilting its head curiously while blinking owlishly at her. There was something so strange about seeing the physical representation of her soul sitting in front of her, and her soul seemed to feel the same way about her. It was strange, because while she couldn't tell what the creature was planning or thinking, she knew every detail about what it was feeling.

All she could think to do was reach out and touch it, at which point the hollow feeling inside of her disappeared entirely. It didn't take much time for her to realize that the emptiness was an adjustment to lacking this part of her soul.

The feeling of emptiness returned as the phoenix flew back up into the air and out of her reach, perching on Genji's shoulder and nuzzling its head at his face. His eyes widened in shock, presumably experiencing the same warmth that she had when Soba first came in contact with her. As soon as he reached out to touch the creature, it flew up into the air, finding its way back to Soba, who was floating a few feet above their heads. She pecked softly at the dragon's head, and the two started to chase each other around the air, the sounds coming from their mouths akin to that of playful laughter.

"They sure seem to get along well." Genji stated, smiling warmly at the pair. "What are you going to name her?"

Angela thought for a moment, humming quietly to herself. "I think I'll call her Lily. When I was little I always wanted to name my child that, but this works too." They watched the spirits in relative silence as Soba chased Lily around until the two finally ceased, seemingly tired. Lily flapped back to Angela, peering up at her for half a second before flying straight into her, the odd emptiness disappearing entirely. Soba did essentially the same thing to Genji, except with a notably greater amount of grace to their movements. They had clearly done this quite a few times.

With that handled, Angela stood up, ambling towards her basement door. "I need to see if he took anything." She flinched when opening the door, expecting the worst. As she made her way down it surprised her to realize that nothing appeared to be missing. Gabe probably hadn't expected her to both refuse him and to live through it. There wouldn't be much point in stealing her items if she would give them willingly or if he could take them from her corpse. The only thing that seemed out of place were some papers on her assorted desks that had been flipped through. She looked through the pages herself to see if any of the information was important; luckily, everything on the desks either hadn't been secret or pertained to something Gabe would have known she was researching prior to this visit.

Footsteps thudded from the stairway as Genji came down. "I swept up some of the glass on the floor in your room and the living room, which are a total mess, but all of the other rooms seem untouched. Also, I recovered your phone." He tossed her the small rectangle, which she caught with a grunt of thanks. "Do you want to stay at my apartment until we leave? I'm not sure how comfortable I am with you staying here."

Angela hugged her arms around herself, swaying gently on the spot as she thought. She couldn't stand the idea of someone being able to come into her house while she was gone. It would be a disaster if Talon came back for her work and she wasn't there to protect it. "I don't know if I want to leave everything in the basement alone until I can talk with Winston about a way to get it out of here. There are some things in this room that hold secrets more valuable than my life."

He just nodded. "I thought you'd stay that. If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here with you. I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone just after something like this."

"I'm okay with that. Do you think it's a good idea to call Hanzo and tell him about it? I know he'll probably want to follow us to Gibraltar, and he might want to stay here while we wait." With a nod from Genji, she pulled out her phone and called Hanzo, who responded so quickly that he couldn't possibly have been asleep. She immediately put the call on speaker mode.

"Angela? What do you need?"

"My house was just attacked by the Reaper." Angela waited for a second for a response, but only got complete and utter silence. "I'm fine, but only because Soba saved me. Genji and I decided that joining Overwatch is probably the safest path for us now, and we would want you to come with us, if you're willing. You're also welcome to stay over while we wait for Winston to organize a way to get us there, though I must warn you that my house is a disaster zone."

A clipped and strained "I'll be there," echoed from the other side before the call went silent.

"You heard him." Genji muttered. "We should probably wait for him upstairs." His companion simply nodded in response, her brain seemingly acting on autopilot. They made their way into the kitchen, pulling a couple of chairs next to each other and cuddling together as they sat in silence, Angela processing everything that was happening.

Hanzo arrived about an hour later, dark bags under his eyes and worry clear within them. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the couple staring back at him. His eyes lit up with curiosity when the two settled back down into their previous position and Genji placed a gentle kiss on the top of the doctor's head, but he said nothing.

* * *

They stayed like that for the rest of the night. Genji refused to turn his sleeping function on, so he explained what happened to a very alert Hanzo as Angela drifted off every so often, always waking up screaming about thirty minutes after falling asleep. All three of them were worse for wear after the night ended, and the only thing that made them feel better was Winston's assurance in the morning that he would send Lena over immediately to get them to Gibraltar safely.

The next few hours passed by in a blur. Genji and Hanzo went back to their apartments to gather the things they wanted to take with them while Angela set up ways to automatically make payments for each of their homes while they were gone. She had enough funds from her time working for Overwatch as a doctor that she had invested intelligently to last her a dozen lifetimes; she'd take it upon herself to make sure they had a place to stay when this all blew over.

When the two men came back with a few suitcases worth of things each, they all started the long process of moving everything out of Angela's basement. A few of her machines took all three of them to get up and out of the stairs, resulting in intensely hard work. With all of her papers stuffed neatly into folders and her creations piled in the free spaces in the living room, they got to work helping her pack her personal items. Genji was charged with salvaging as many photos and DVDs as he could from the living room while Hanzo threw away all of the broken pieces of door and furniture scattered around the room. While they worked on that, Angela packed all of her clothes and personal belongings, almost crying when she saw how bare the home she had lived in for nearly ten years looked. It was like a robber had gone through and taken everything that wasn't too heavy to carry; her furniture was really the only thing left.

Genji came in then, wrapping her in a hug when he saw the look of distress on her face. "We'll come back here one day, Angela. I swear to you we will."

She shook her head as if to get out the bad thoughts. "I'm sure you're right. I'll just miss it."

Lena arrived not long after, managing to land their plane nearly vertically and almost completely silently in front of the house. She ran out of the plane immediately, throwing herself at Angela. "It's been so long, love! I've missed you." The endearment made her smile, because Lena really was the only one who could pull off making "love" sound completely platonic at all times.

The doctor ruffled the energetic pilot's hair before returning the hug. "Indeed, it has. It still feels like just yesterday was your first mission."

Lena blushed at that, before detaching herself and giving a bear hug to Genji as well. "I can't believe you're here too! Angela used to tell me so much about you, since I didn't get to see you much outside of training." She seemed ready to give the same treatment to Hanzo before realizing that she didn't actually recognize him. "No offense loves, but who is that?"

Hanzo stretched out his hand to her. "My name is Hanzo Shimada. I am Genji's brother."

Lena looked a little wary before accepting it, her smile faltering for half a second as she recognized the name but eventually returning to its normal bright shine. "Nice to meet ya! I'm Lena Oxton, codename Tracer." She let go of his hand to clap loudly, bouncing on the spot a little as she did. "Alright, now let's start moving your stuff!"

It took about an hour to get everything on board, all the fragile pieces of machinery strapped in carefully. Angela wasn't concerned at all about her creations' wellbeing; Lena was the best pilot she had ever encountered, and almost nothing could shake the doctor's confidence in her friend's abilities.

No, it was her life's work all being in one place that was scaring her. It was the idea that everything she knew, all her safety and security, was gone. She was about to leave her life of safety and security, and that thought terrified her to no end. As she closed her eyes so as not to look at the ground slowly getting further and further away as they ascended, she started to wish that she could go back to how things were before she knew that the Reaper was Gabriel Reyes, back before her home had lost its safety.

It was then she felt the gentle squeeze of Genji's hand in hers. She opened her eyes to see him looking at her intently, concern etched across his face. Her smile was genuine as she returned the pressure on his hand, closing her eyes and allowing her face to react.

Sometimes it was worth going through tragedies for the life experience that could be gained as a result. And to her, knowing that Genji loved her was worth losing everything and more.

* * *

 **A lot of people think Angela's spirit animal would be something like a dove. Even though it isn't a real c** **reature, I think it would be a phoenix. The themes of rebirth and new life are just too strong to ignore.**

 **Also I realize it's a bit of a short chapter, but this felt like a good cut off point and I'm busy writing other Gency things (which you should stay tuned for ;D) so hopefully that's understandable. Love you guys!**


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